Air Pollution and Respiratory Disease
By: Paul FryattTotal Views: 176, Word Count: 524,
Air pollution and respiratory disease is directly related to each other. Lots of research conducted by research institutes proved that long-term contact with air pollutants can increase the risk of respiratory illnesses or respiratory diseases, for e.g. pulmonary disease, allergies, asthma and lung cancer. Most of the time children and the elderly are known to be vulnerable to the health effects of fine particles, ozone and other airborne toxicants causing respiratory disorders. The studies regarding this suggested that people living in polluted cities have a higher risk of death from lung cancer and other respiratory diseases as compared to people who are living in less polluted cities.
Air Pollutants and Respiratory Disease
Particulate Matter (PM)
Concentrations of particulate matter having size of 10 µm i.e.PM 10 in ambient air are known as polluted air. As a result, recommended PM10 limit values are recently widespread in urban areas as well in rural areas in some countries, so as to control it properly.
Ozone (O3)
This also causes pollution in the air which has the tendency towards an increasing level for annual average concentrations.
Violations of the ozone occur mainly in South European countries and Central and Eastern Europe.
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
NO2 is also known as air pollutant which is shown in both annual and the short-term nitrogen dioxide peak concentrations.
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
The urban and local SO2 concentration is present in urban as well as western areas. It is very common in industrial cities.
Traffic-Related Air Pollution
When the concentration of NO2 is between PM10 and PM2.5, then it is said that it is the sign of air pollution caused by traffic.
Industry-Related Air Pollution
The amount of industry-related air pollution depends on the type of industry as well as process technology and emission control. Sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, heavy metals, etc. are the most well known pollutants of industrial pollution.
Respiratory Diseases due to Air Pollution
Air pollutants like PM, O3, NO2 and SO2 can lead to the respiratory health disorder of children. These can result in respiratory diseases like post neonatal respiratory mortality and lung inflammation, respiratory mortality in infants along with decreased exercise capacity, increased respiratory symptoms, etc.
Sometimes, short term air pollutant exposure can lead to asthma or chronic respiratory symptoms. There is a very close relationship between exposure to air pollution and childhood asthma.
There are many types of respiratory diseases taking place due to air pollutants which are as follows:
· Lung disease
· Obstructive lung diseases
· Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
· Asthma
· Restrictive lung diseases
· Respiratory tract infections
· Upper respiratory tract infection
· Lower respiratory tract infection
· Respiratory tumors
· Malignant tumors
· Small cell lung cancer
· Non-small cell lung cancer
· Adenocarcinoma
· Large cell undifferentiated carcinoma
· Lymphoma
· Head and neck cancer
· Mesothelioma
· Benign tumors
· Pleural cavity diseases
· Pulmonary vascular diseases
In this way, we can conclude that air pollution and respiratory diseases are interrelated and we can have control of the respiratory disorders by controlling air pollution.
About the Author
Paul Fryatt, M.D. has been in this profession from last 24 years. He made great achievements in his profession. He made an initiative to open a Family Allergy Clinic in 1985 to help his patients who were not reacting to traditional allergy treatment programs. Moreover he has explored the treatment to overcome allergy symptoms to reclaim quality of life through his convenient, no-shots therapy.
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