Simply breathing polluted air played a part in the deaths of over 8 million people worldwide -- more than the number of deaths from tobacco, according to recent estimates.
The science clearly shows that unhealthy air is dangerous. Air pollution, especially invisible, airborne particle pollution -- known as PM-- increases the risk of serious health problems. And it can kill. Even very low levels play a role in death from heart and lung diseases.
Yet research shows that the health risks from cigarette smoking and air pollution are similar. A recent study found that breathing air with mild increases in air pollution levels over 10 years caused the same type of lung damage seen after 29 years of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. There’s also another big difference. Unlike cigarettes, air pollution usually doesn’t come with a warning label or a telltale odor. For most of us, there are no signs that we are “inhaling” until the damage is done. And we don’t have control over the air we breathe.Cigarette smokers breathe in over 7,000 chemicals whenever they light up, and at least 69 of these are known to cause cancer.
Dean Schraufnagel, MD, a University of Illinois at Chicago pulmonologist and director of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, helps people make the connection between “the steady stream of ‘low-dose’ pollution” we inhale and the medical problems that can come years down the line. Breathing in polluted air during a time of critical development can also damage the brains of young children, affecting how they think and feel. Polluted air has been linked with autism, lower intelligence, attention problems, and a higher risk of mental health problems like anxiety.
Martiny and Coelho stress that their “main goal is to raise awareness about the risk of air pollution. … What was amazing about the equation was it transformed this very abstract scientific notion of PMto something that was really tangible to basically everybody. … Everybody knows the effect a cigarette can have on your body.” And everyone knows that there aren’t “safe levels” for cigarette smoking.
But the American Lung Association and other health advocacy groups have raised the alarm about EPA plans to limit or gut many of the programs that have cut air pollution and improved the health of American communities. The organization cites:Repeal of the Clean Power Plan and replacement with a rule that may increase emissions
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Air quality app under 'coordinated attack' in Vietnam amid heavy Hanoi smogIndependent online air quality index monitor AirVisual said on Monday it is unde...
Weiterlesen »
Review: iPad Air vs. iPad ProHow Apple iPads compare to each other: ForbesFinds
Weiterlesen »
Get Ready for Halloween with Lucy Dacus' Haunting 'In the Air Tonight' CoverGet ready for Halloween with a spooky new cover of 'In the Air Tonight' by lucydacus:
Weiterlesen »
Air France KLM's September passenger traffic rises from year agoAir France KLM reported higher passenger traffic figures for September, as the c...
Weiterlesen »
Carbon Engineering - Taking CO2 Right Out Of The Air To Make GasolineExtracting CO2 from air is the best way to reverse global warming without resorting to expensive technologies, convoluted tax schemes or preventing billions from getting sufficient energy. If you then make gasoline from it, then you’d kill two birds with one stone. That stone is Carbon Engineering.
Weiterlesen »