Pollution and its Impact on Health

As the world gets hot and humid, and more populated day by day, our engines continue to pump out dirty emissions, and half the world has no access to clean fuels (stoves), the very air we breathe is growing to be dangerously polluted at an alarming rate: nine out of ten people now breathe polluted air, which kills 7 million people every year. It’s a pretty serious ratio!

The health impacts of air pollution are very serious, one-third of deaths from stroke; lung cancer, and heart disease are due to air pollution. This is having an equivalent effect to that of smoking tobacco, and much higher than, say, the effects of eating too much salt or sugar. Read below some of the major health impacts of extreme exposure to pollution on human health.

Health Impacts

The most common air pollutants on our planet are ground-level ozone and Particulates Matter (PM). Air pollution is distinguished into two main types; one is Outdoor pollution that is ambient air pollution. Another one is Indoor pollution that is the pollution generated by household combustion of fuels. People exposed to high concentrations of these air pollutants experience disease symptoms and states of greater and lesser seriousness depending upon the extent of pollution. These effects are further grouped into short- and long-term effects affecting human health.

Susceptible populations that need to be extra cautious of health protection measures include old people, children, and people with diabetes and predisposing heart or lung disease, especially asthma.

Short-term effects are temporary and range from simple discomforts, such as irritation of the eyes, nose, skin, throat, wheezing cold, coughing and chest tightness, and breathing difficulties, to more serious states, such as asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, and lung and heart diseases. Short-term exposure to air pollution can even result in headaches, nausea, and dizziness. These problems can be aggravated by extended long-term exposure to air pollutants, which is harmful to the reproductive, neurological, and respiratory systems and can even cause cancer and rarely, deaths.

The long-term effects are chronic, lasting for years or your whole life, and can even lead to death. Furthermore, the toxicity of several air pollutants may also induce a variety of cancers in the long term which can be avoided by maintaining a healthy life filled with the right nutrition, moderate physical exercise, and positive mental well-being.

Over to you:

The list doesn’t end here. Now, there is new research that shows links between the air we breathe in and mental health concerns. The more research scientists do on this invisible threat, the more they find that air pollution poses a serious problem to human health. Take necessary precautions like staying indoors when air quality is extremely poor, set up indoor air filters, and limit your exposure especially near air pollution sources. Stay safe and stay healthy!