The Hazards of Air Pollution

As they say, fresh air never gets old. But it does get detrimental to human health when constant harmful air pollutants have been, for decades, and continue being released into the atmosphere! After having a look at the statistics, it’s not looking any good. It is estimated that each year, air pollution is responsible for nearly seven million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Nine out of ten humans are directly affected by bad air quality that exceeds the WHO’s guideline limits for pollutants!

(If you’re curious about the air quality in your city, you can now access that information live through the World’s Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index.)

As air quality is directly linked with the earth’s ecosystems around the globe, we are now suffering the consequences of our actions, more than ever. Even the lack of "direct" action by having the engine of a car turned on has proven to cause harmful consequences to our planet and personal health. The major problem resides in energy use and production, through the burning of fossil fuels that expel gases and chemicals into the air. We’ve talked about climate change quite a few times now and we are beginning to understand how everything is connected in a harmful loop to the environment. The next question we now have in our hands is - how dangerous can it be to us and what conclusions can we draw from recent studies on human exposure to high levels of pollution?

Health problems

• The most common are breathing problems, such as Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease that can affect the heart;

• Linkage with Lung Cancer - scientists discovered that high exposure to contaminated air can lead to different types of cancer, claiming we have dormant cells that can start growing after being triggered by such hazardous conditions;

• Cognitive Impairment and Dementia risk - Ongoing studies suggest that air pollution does have an effect on these mental fields. The precise conclusion is uncertain on how much of an impact it directly has, but from what we’ve seen and the data we’ve collected through statistics and experimentation, it’s no laughing matter.

• Higher Risks of Strokes - Cardiovascular Disease and Post-Stroke complications have been connected to this issue, particularly in people with no history of such medical problems!

It is a fact that climate change and public health are highly intertwined with each other. Therefore, adopting strategies to reduce air pollution becomes a must for the healthy longevity of our species and the health of the planet itself, as we know it. In the near future, we will tackle this subject a bit more from a resolution point of view. We’ll rise and answer the question of what we can do to protect ourselves and what is being done to protect the planet, so we can try to find that sweet closure.

 Stay tuned and see you next week!