Air quality air quality resources for professionals cdc. Objectives time series studies have shown adverse effects of outdoor air pollution on mortality and hospital admissions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease copd but panel studies have been inconsistent. As a result, alternative theories have sprung up recently. Picture of americia outdoor air quality fact sheet centers for.
The environmental burden of disease ebd series continues this effort to generate reliable information, by presenting methods for assessing the environmental burden of outdoor air pollution at national and local levels. Traffic and power generation are the main sources of urban air pollution. Epidemiologic studies have consistently provided evidence of adverse health effects of these air pollutants. Air pollution and health from smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. Outdoor air pollution is increasingly identified as a contributor to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The market impacts of outdoor air pollution, which include impacts on labour productivity, health. Air plays a vital role not only in nature but also in the lives of human beings and all living organisms. It can affect both the respiratory system exacerbating asthma and chronic obstructive. Cities are often centers of these types of activities, and many suffer from the effects of smog. Infants and young children children and adults with lung diseases including outdoor air pollution and your health. The association between outdoor air pollution and a variety of disease outcomes including asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular disease has been extensively investigated. The combined effects of ambient outdoor and household air pollution cause about 7 million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung. Air pollution is the presence of one or more disadvantageous content in such quantity and for such duration, as it is catastrophic, or tend to be catastrophic, to human health and welfare, animal or plant life.
Outdoor air pollution causes substantial morbidity and mortality in canada. Acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. Outdoor air pollution and your health american thoracic society. Health effects of outdoor air pollution pubmed central pmc. Outdoor air pollution air quality ministry of health. When there is smoke in the air from wood stoves, fireplaces, burning vegetation, or forest fires. Current 2008 data estimate that if the effect of pm 2. These acids are formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the. Effects of outdoor air pollution on human health request pdf. In this series paper, we discuss the effects of particulate matter.
Even healthy people can experience health impacts from polluted air including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. Urban air pollution has been associated with morbidity but little information exists on how it affects diurnal variation of lung function in children with asthma. The common sources of outdoor air pollution are emissions caused by combustion processes from motor vehicles, solid fuel burning and industry. In some instances, outdoor air pollution can make its way indoors by way of open windows, doors, ventilation, etc. Plan activities when and where pollution levels are lower.
Air pollution represents a continuous hazard to human health. Your actual risk of adverse effects depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and concentration, and the length of your exposure to the polluted air. Pdf adverse health effect of outdoor air pollutants researchgate. In the uk, outdoor air pollution also makes a significant contribution to mortality. A tool kit pdf icon pdf 726 kb heart health and air pollution. This study investigates shortterm effects of outdoor nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter pm10 and black smoke on. Particulate and so2 pollution were strongly implicated in the acute morbidity and mortality associated with the severe pollution episodes in donora pennsylvania, london, and new york in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of trafficrelated pollution on lung function among children with asthma.
Outdoor air pollution is a complex mixture of several pollutants. By adjusting when and where you exercise, you can lead a healthy lifestyle and help reduce your. A fact sheet to increase awareness that air pollution can trigger heart attacks, stroke, and other health effects. This definition implicitly acknowledges that some substances that are considered to be air pollutants are present naturally. Near busy roads, in urban areas especially during rush hour, and in industrial areas. Outdoor air pollution environmental health student portal.
Air pollution is a leading risk factor for premature death in ghana. The health effects of outdoor air pollution in developing countries of asia. A number of groups are at higher risk of experiencing certain health effects of outdoor air pollution. Road traffic has become the first source of air pollution in urban areas. Sources of information medline was searched using terms relevant to air pollution and its adverse effects. Literature from both developing and developed nations indicates the adverse. Studies have found that higher levels of outdoor air pollution are linked to a number of health effects, including. Both the consequences for the economy and the welfare costs from premature deaths and pain and suffering are quantitatively. We have known for years that breathing high levels of air pollution ozone. Over the past 30 years, researchers have unearthed a wide array of health effects which are believed to be associated with air pollution exposure. Pdf much research on the health effects of outdoor air pollution has been published in the last decade. Much research on the health effects of outdoor air pollution has been published in the last decade. The economic consequences of outdoor air pollution oecd.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution has a substantial effect on health, including exacerbation of preexisting asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, increased susceptibility to infection and sensitivity to allergens, and increased risk of arrhythmia, ischemia, cardiac failure, and stroke. The main air pollution indicators are so 2, nox, pm, co, voc and o 3. This report,the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution, presents projections of the costs of outdoor air pollution, focusing on impacts on human health, including both mortality and morbidity, and agriculture. It includes information about risk factors and warning signs for heart disease and stroke. The market impacts of outdoor air pollution are projected to lead to significant economic costs, which are illustrated at. Proinflammatory particles and gases are inhaled deep into the lungs, and are associated with impaired lung growth and exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases. Understanding of the longterm health effects of exposure to air pollution is currently rather limited, but experts suggest that cutting long term exposure to. Environmental effects of air pollution and application of engineered methods to combat the problem ahmad ashfaq 1 and pratiksha sharma 2. Who is most vulnerable to health effects of air pollution. Living organisms can survive without water for some time but cannot survive without air because when we breathe then we intake oxygen from air and.
We recorded morning and evening forced expiratory volume in 1 s fev1. Health effects caused by air pollutants depend on the absorbed dose, the type of pollutants and the individual susceptibility. The idea that outdoor air pollution can cause exacerbations of preexisting asthma is supported by an evidence base that has been accumulating for several decades, with several studies suggesting a contribution to newonset asthma as well. The health effects of trafficrelated air pollution, comprising a mixture of pollutants, is an area of recent research interest. Globally, air pollution is responsible for about 25% of all adult deaths from stroke, 24% from heart disease, 43% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease copd and 29% from lung cancer, the who estimates show. In 1970, congress passed the clean air act that established national air pollutant standards for 6 criteria pollutants. Understanding the relationship between outdoor and indoor air quality iaq is your strongest weapon against its effects on your health. Outdoor air pollution acute health effects of air pollution three classic incidents meuse valley, belgium 1930 65 deaths donora, pennsylvania 1948 20 deaths london, england 1952 4000 deaths noaa begin by giving a little of the history of outdoor air pollution.
Environmental effects along with harming human health, air pollution can cause a variety of environmental effects. People with heart or lung disease including diabetics, older adults and children. A tool kit pdf icon pdf 3 mb you can also share this podcast with tips for avoiding the harmful health effects of poor air quality. It is the contaminants of air by the discharge of detrimental substances. Other pollution sources include smoke from bushfires, windblown dust, and biogenic emissions from vegetation pollen and mould spores.
These pollutants might cause cancer, reproductive effects, and. Since a number of air pollutants are ubiquitous in the urban atmosphere, it has been difficult to ascertain the specific source responsible for the. It is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants derived from different sources, primarily automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. The deleterious effects of ambient air pollution on human. Outdoor air pollution and respiratory health in patients. Interest in the health effects of outdoor air pollution in asia is growing among policy makers, international lenders, nongovernmental organizations, industry, and others due to increasing knowledge about the health effects of air pollution and to the high levels of air pollution in asias burgeoning cities. Exposure to outdoor air pollution and its human health. Environmental pollution is tangled with the unsustainable anthropogenic activities, resulting. Air pollution is also likely to affect health over the longer term. Air pollution effects of air pollution on health and how to protect yourself. Health effects of ambient air pollution in developing countries mdpi. Heart disease, stroke, and outdoor air pollution, epa456.
Pollution in any form, whether it be air or water, poses an environmental risk to the health of the exposed population. The respiratory effects of air pollution depend on the type and mix of pollutants, the concentration in the air, the amount of time that you are exposed to the pollutant. In 2017, the lancet commission on pollution and health reported that all types of pollution ie, air, water, soil, chemical, and occupational pollutants is the worlds largest environmental cause for poor health, responsible for about 9 million deaths in. Health effects of outdoor air pollution in developing. Changing both your habits and your home is crucial to minimizing outdoor air pollutions effect on indoor air. Special report 15 health health effects of outdoor air. Main message outdoor air pollution causes substantial morbidity and mortality in canada. Despite considerable air pollution prevention and control measures that have been put into practice in recent years, outdoor air pollution remains one of the most important risk factors for health outcomes. Environmental risk factors, particularly air pollution, have been associated with increased risk of neurological disorders.
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