It’s no surprise that air pollution is a serious threat to human health. With every single breath, you’re breathing n
th amount of air pollutants with it. Even the low concentration of these pollutants can damage a lot in our body. Obviously, small kids are an easy target as their breathing capability is much higher than the adults, which means they breathe higher amount of pollutants too. Other than them, people who have a history of cardiovascular or respiratory illness are at risk too, as their immunity level is not as good as of others.
The most common effects of
air pollution are irritation of eyes, nose, and throat, low productivity, dizziness, and headaches. There are other severe illnesses like:
- Asthma
Over 2.8 million adults and nearly 1.1 million children with Asthma live in countries with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution.
- Lung Cancer
Lung cancer accounts for more than 25% of all cancer deaths.
- Kidney Damage
High PM concentration affects the normal functioning of the kidneys and can also cause end-stage renal disease.
- Brain Disorders
Prolonged exposure to air pollution could age the human brain
- Cardiovascular Diseases
Breathing in high amounts of polluted air is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Pneumonia
Nearly a million children die from pneumonia each year. Half of those are linked to air pollution.
- Birth Defects
Breathing traffic pollution in early pregnancy is linked to a higher risk for certain serious birth defects
- Mental Illness
Depression; anxiety; Alzheimer’s; poor academic performance – some of the things that scientists have connected to air pollution in recent years
