From Guest Blogger Emma Sturgis: Bad Breath–How Air Pollution Jeopardizes Your Health
While we have known for decades that air pollution is bad and has negative effects on human health, it would appear that the more we learn, the more serious the situation seems to become. Our society continues to trend toward green energy sources, yet the residual effects from decades of uncontrolled air pollution continue to take their toll.
Who is most vulnerable to air pollution?
Children, seniors and other sensitive members of our population are the most vulnerable. Children’s lungs are still growing, and proportionally they take in more air than adults. They are also much more active and likely to exert themselves, drawing in even greater quantities of polluted air.
Health risks associated with air pollution
Over a half-century ago in the 1950’s scientists were already beginning to notice a link between air quality and poor health. The effects of smaller pollutants, known by scientists as volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), range from watery eyes and scratchy throats to headaches and coughing. These small particles are not visible to the naked eye but can be smelled, like paint fumes. VOC’s can trigger asthma attacks and mild nausea.
Larger pollutants include ground level smog and ozone, as well as other gases. According to the EPA, even a few hours of exposure can impair lung function, even leading to chest pain, coughing and pulmonary congestion. Prolonged exposure can lead to CPD, respiratory infections and asthma. Another alarming problem is that nearly every air contaminant is also a known carcinogen, increasing the risk of developing cancer the longer exposure is maintained.
Indoor Air Pollution
People are often surprised by this, believing pollution only occurs outside, yet according to the EPA, indoor air quality can be 2-5 times as bad as outdoor air, and in some cases over 100 times as bad.
Obvious sources include secondhand smoke and smoke from cooking. Keeping windows shut traps the pollutants indoors, leading the air quality to worsen over time, with the same negative health effects. Asbestos exposure is also still very much a problem, especially in older buildings. Asbestos does not refer to a specific material, but rather a type of material. Asbestos is a commercial name given to naturally-occurring fibrous minerals. These are no longer allowed to be used yet are still common in older buildings, especially in flooring and wallboard.
The danger of asbestos is that when handled, it breaks off into microscopic particles that, due to their size, remain in the air for many days, never settling to the ground. The danger for humans is when these are inhaled they act like little shards of glass, and because of their microscopic size, the body cannot expel them and they remain trapped in the air sacs of the lungs. Asbestos exposure can cause tumors in the mesothelium, which a mesothelioma lawyer says refers to the tissues surrounding the lungs, heart, stomach, and other organs. Asbestos has been unequivocally linked with lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Air Quality Today
It can feel like an uphill battle to change the quality of our air when there are so many factors that can affect it. But fortunately, great strides have been made. The aforementioned smog in Los Angeles is a tiny fraction of what it once was, thanks to emission controls required on automobiles. The best thing that we can do on an individual level is to keep our cars as current as possible and encourage efficient public transportation systems like the ones already in use in the larger cities.
From the article: “Obvious sources include secondhand smoke and smoke from cooking.”
At least the problem of secondhand smoke is not nearly so serious as it once was. In slightly earlier times, smoking was regarded as normal and non-smoking was regarded as abnormal. It was exceedingly difficult to keep people from smoking in one’s home or car; attempts to do so were regarded as rude and antisocial. Many of us who were especially sensitive to smoke had to avoid restaurants. Air travel was a ghastly ordeal. It took years of activism to change the situation. I suspect that my lung capacity would be significantly greater if I had never been forced against my will to breathe secondhand smoke.
Of course outside air pollution was (and still is) a problem, but although I could not prove it, I think that secondhand tobacco smoke was a greater problem.
Heat recovery ventilation systems are available for houses and other buildings to reduce indoor air pollution. They are especially important for houses which are tightly sealed and should be much more common than they are.