The risk of serious health problems increases due to air pollution.
Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans, animals, and plants. Air pollution not only harms the health of humans, animals and plants but it also harms buildings and other inanimate objects, like fans at home and outside etc. Pollutants in the air take many forms, they can be gases, solid particles or liquid droplets.
What are the sources of air pollution?
Pollution enters the Earth’s atmosphere in many different ways. Most air pollution is created by people, taking the form of emissions from factories, cars, planes or aerosol cans. Second hand cigarette smoke is also considered air pollution. These man-made sources of pollution are called anthropogenic sources. Some types of air pollution, such as smoke from wildfires or volcanic ash, occur naturally. These are called natural sources.
Air pollution is most common in large cities where emissions from many different sources are concentrated. Sometimes mountains or tall buildings prevent air pollution from spreading. This air pollution often makes the air hazy in the form of a cloud. It is called smog. The word “smog” comes from a combination of the words “smoke” and “fog”.
Large cities in poor and developing countries have more air pollution than cities in developed countries. According to the World Health Organization, some of the most polluted cities in the world are Karachi, Pakistan; New Delhi, India; Beijing, China; Lima, Peru; And there is Cairo, Egypt. However, many developed countries also have air pollution problems. Los Angeles, California, has been nicknamed Smog City.
What is indoor air pollution?
Air pollution is usually thought of as smoke from large factories or exhaust from vehicles. But air pollution also occurs inside the house, which is called indoor air pollution. There are many types of indoor air pollution.
Heating the house by burning materials like kerosene, wood and coal can pollute the indoor air. Ash and smoke make breathing difficult, and they can stick to walls, food and clothes, causing many health problems.
Naturally occurring radon gas, a cancer-causing substance, can also accumulate in homes. Radon is released through the Earth’s surface. Inexpensive systems installed by professionals can reduce radon levels.
Some construction materials, including insulation, are also hazardous to people’s health. Additionally, toxic molds can be spread by ventilation or air movement in homes and rooms. A colony of mold may exist in a moist, cool area in a home, such as between the walls. Mold spores enter the air and spread throughout the house. People can get sick by breathing in spores
What effect does air pollution have on health?
People experience a wide range of health effects from exposure to air pollution. Effects can be divided into short-term effects and long-term effects.
Short-term effects, which are temporary, include illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis. These also include problems like irritation in nose, throat, eyes or skin. Air pollution can also cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. The foul smell emanating from factories, garbage or sewer systems is also considered air pollution. These odors are less severe but still unpleasant.
The long-term effects of air pollution can last for years or even a lifetime. They can also cause a person’s death. Long-term health effects from air pollution include heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people’s nerves, brain, kidneys, liver and other organs. Some scientists doubt that air pollutants cause birth defects. Billions of people around the world die every year from the effects of outdoor or indoor air pollution.
People react differently to different types of air pollution. Young children and older adults, who have weaker immune systems, are often more sensitive to pollution. Exposure to air pollution can worsen conditions like asthma, heart disease and lung disease. The length and amount of exposure and the type of pollutants are also factors.
Air pollution is bad for the heart!
The effect of air pollution not only gives rise to eye and respiratory problems but it also increases heart related problems. When we breathe polluted air, the pollution particles present in the air can go deep into the bloodstream reaching the lungs and heart, due to which the blood flow system gets disrupted. When this happens for a long time, problems related to breathing, blood pressure and other moderate to serious heart problems begin to occur.
Air pollution can make blood vessels narrow and hard, affecting blood flow in the body. When such a condition occurs in the body, the risk of blood clot formation is highest. Due to blood clots, the heart is not able to flow the right amount of blood to other parts of the body, due to which the heart has to pump blood faster than normal, due to which the blood pressure i.e. blood pressure starts increasing. Due to this action the pressure on the heart muscles starts increasing.
This can affect the electrical system of the heart which controls the heartbeat. When this happens, the problem of heart arrhythmia starts, which invites other problems. Due to all these conditions, the possibility of worsening of heart rate in the body increases significantly. This is why all these reasons increase the risk of heart failure. People who have heart problems have an increased risk of heart attack due to prolonged exposure to air pollution.
How to protect from air pollution?
You can take many steps to protect yourself from increasing air pollution, especially during the winter and festive seasons, the most important of which is to stop yourself from spreading air pollution. This is the most special way to prevent air pollution which will keep not only you but also your loved ones safe. For this, you can adopt measures like avoiding the use of firecrackers, using e-vehicles, not using wood stoves at all or reducing them.
Well, along with all these measures, you can protect your health from air pollution by taking the following measures:-
The intensity of these diseases and conditions may vary from person to person depending on their age, gender and the lifestyle they follow.