Air pollution, both indoors and outdoors, causes major health problems in human beings. It has affected people living in all parts of the world alike. The main components of air that are responsible for a deteriorating health condition include particulate matter.
Health effects of air pollution and importance of healthy air
1. Health Effects of Air Pollution and Importance of Hea lthy Air
Air pollution, both indoors and outdoors, causes major health problems in human beings. It
has affected people living in all parts of the world alike. The main components of air that are
responsible for a deteriorating health condition include particulate matter, carbon dioxide,
ozone, nitrogen dioxide, chloro-floro carbons, and sulphur dioxide. These harmful
components are present in the air in large quantities. Concentration of particulate matter is
relatively high inside a house because of the consumption of bio fuels and coal for cooking
purposes.
HEALTH EFFECTS
Air pollution can severely damage our respiratory system. Along w ith that, it also affects our
pulmonary and neurological system to a great extent. The most acute sufferers observed in
a house include pregnant woman, infants, and elderly people. They are more vulnerable to
chronic and lung diseases. In children, the effects are more prominent because their lungs
are in the development stage. Air pollution not only causes acute health effects but also
chronic health problems.
When a person is exposed to a polluting environment, he generally experiences acute
effects such as headache, eye irritation, and dizziness. These effects don’t last for a long
time and disappear as soon as the contact with polluting air is circumvented. On the other
hand, chronic health disorders are irreversible and their effects are not observed
immediately. They are a result of long term exposure to poisonous air pollutants. Chronic
health effects reduce the capacity of lungs and can even cause lung cancer in a long term.
Lungs are mainly responsible for sucking oxygen and abstracting carbon dioxide from the
blood vessels. However, the obstruction to this process due to air pollution contributes to
the development of respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and cancer. It is not hard to
fathom that how badly it will affect out circulatory system and heart functioning.
The major health diseases can be summed up as follows:
a.) Minor lung illnesses such as sore throat, runny nose, and coughing.
b.) Major lung illnesses such as croup, pneumonia, and cancer
c.) Asthma
d.) Pulmonary diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
e.) Coronary artery diseases such as angina, heart rhythm problems, and heart attack.
To understand the effect of air pollution in a more detailed manner, we should try to
interpret the effect of every polluting constituent thoroughly.
1.) Carbon dioxide – It is produced from burning of kerosene or wood inside a house. It is a
colorless gas which causes headaches, reduced mental agility, heart attack, cardiovascular
diseases, and ultimately death.
2.) Nitrogen dioxide – It is highly reactive reddish brown gas that is produced due to
burning of fuels. Its concentration inside a house w ith wood burning stoves or chimneys is
considerably high that results in lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, and difficulty in
breathing.
3.) Ozone – It is a gaseous pollutant that causes eye and throat infection. Asthma and lung
damage have also been linked to excessive exposure to ozone. It is mainly present in closed
rooms where air pollutants in the presence of sunlight react with other harmful air
components.
2. 4.) Particulate matter – These are minute particles of dust and soot that causes irritation in
eyes, asthma, lung damage, bronchitis, and cancer. Their severity gets enhanced with their
size. The bigger the particles, the severe the effects. They cannot be observed with a
normal eye. However, if you can observe it, then they are probably present in large
quantities, which is extremely harmful.
BENEF ITS OF HEALTHY AIR
Fresh and healthy air opens up our brain and every cell of the body for proper functioning.
It lifts up the mood because of the refreshing effect due to balancing action between
negative ions in oxygen and positive ions in carbon dioxide. Clean air improves the heart
rate, blood pressure, and all other metabolic activities. It is hard to believe, but it also
activates our digestive syst em that helps to stimulate our appetite. Breathing f resh air
builds our immune system and protects our body from harmful bacteria or virus.
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pollution-and-importance-of-healthy-air