The World Health organization defines air pollution as “contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.” Almost 99% of people worldwide now breathe contaminated air, which is dangerous to our health, animals, and plants 1.
Most of the pollutants are created by human activity, e.g. car combustions, producing and using electricity, flying by plane2. We covered the main causes in the previous article. This is why the highest pollution levels are found in urbanized and industrialized areas, where sources of pollution are more dense and highly concentrated. When the concentration of particles and gases is high, air pollution becomes visible as smog and can even be smelled. People with allergies experience eye and airway irritations.
What do we track?
The major pollutants we track are carbon dioxide, ozone and PM2.5 and PM10 particles – these cause long-term health damage. Particulate matter (PM) is complex and forms from various other gases. Due to their size, these particles can enter the lung and from there the circulation, causing damage to organs such as lungs, blood vessels, the heart and the brain. Ozone on the ground can help form these particles faster, which is why its level is also closely monitored.
Effects on human health
The PM2.5 and 10 particles mentioned previously can easily enter the lung. From there, they can enter the blood circulation. The particles evoke an immune response, which is felt immediately in the airways, especially by people with asthma or allergies. The immune system targets the particles, but in the same time other mechanisms are becoming more active – blood circulation, heart and brain activity. I While the immune system is busy fighting the pollution particles, it gets weakened and viruses, which get transferred by the particles, can easily infect cells and cause sickness.
n the long term various organs get damaged by the chemical compounds of air pollution. We covered the main diseases caused by air pollution in our previous article.
Effects on the environment
Many of the gases contribute to climate change as well – carbon dioxide for example creates the greenhouse effect and helps sustain higher atmospheric temperatures. The effect can be minimized by using less fossil fuels to create energy. Green energy is becoming more accessible to individuals and many households choose to get their own solar panels.
Damaging effects can be observed on the soil and plants as well – more acidic soil damages the growth of vital crops and negatively impacts food production. Young trees have less chances of survival, thus damaging forests and limiting their oxygen production capacities. When entering the soil, the chemical compounds can also enter the water, causing its contamination.
All of this is related in a loop – less food and plants affect animal populations. It gets harder for them to find shelter and food. The survival of many species is endangered by human activity, such as urbanization and deforestation. Climate change aggrevates the existing problems even more. Populations are declining and an increasing number of species will soon become endangered.
