Air Pollution

Types of Air Pollution

There are many different types of air pollution and pollutants. Different pollutants have different effects on the environment and on our health. Some, directly because they are harmful chemicals and others because they can react together to produce harmful chemicals. The most common and damaging pollutants include sulfur dioxide, suspended particulate matter, ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and lead all of which are tied directly or indirectly to the combustion of fossil fuels. Pollutants can upset the natural balance of acidity and nitrogen in the environment which can affect the diversity of species in sensitive areas. Other pollutants can contribute to changing global conditions and potentially give rise to dramatic changes in climate and sea level.

Although substantial investments in pollution control in some industrialized countries have lowered the levels of these pollutants in many cities, poor air quality is still a major concern throughout the industrialized world. A recent assessment by the European Environment Agency found that 70 to 80 percent of 105 European cities surveyed exceeded WHO air quality standards for at least one pollutant.

The health consequences of exposure to dirty air are considerable. On a global basis, estimates of mortality due to outdoor air pollution run from around 200,000 to 570,000, representing about 0.4 to 1.1 percent of total annual deaths. As the range of these estimates indicates, it is difficult to quantify the toll of outdoor air pollution. However, these mortality estimates alone do not capture the huge toll of illness and disability that exposure to air pollution brings at a global level. Health effects span a wide range of severity from coughing and bronchitis to heart disease and lung cancer.

Air pollution and Our Health

Exposure to excessive air pollution can have a profound effect on health particularly when an individual has a predisposed sensitivity to pollutants and other irritants. It is well-established that sufficiently high levels of pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide and ozone (O3) can cause breathing problems, particularly in people with asthma, bronchitis and similar respiratory diseases. Studies also show an increase in deaths and admissions to hospital due to both breathing and heart problems as levels of particulates rise. Normal healthy people should not be affected by exposure to levels of pollution typically found in the UK, however people sensitive to air pollution because of a pre-existing condition such as asthma or bronchitis or heart disease are likely to be. When pollution levels on a particular day are classed as high people who are sensitive to air pollutants or with a breathing problem may experience ill health effects. They may need to take remedial action to avoid or reduce these effects, e.g by reducing exposure by spending less time outdoors or by taking something to alleviate the symptoms.

Outdoor Air Quality and Health

For more than a century, severe air pollution incidents in cities such as London have shown that breathing dirty air can be dangerous and, at times, deadly. In 1880, 2,200 Londoners died in one such incident when coal smoke from home heating and industry combined to form a toxic smog of sulfur dioxide gas and airborne combustion particles (240). But concern about the health effects of outdoor air pollution did not effectively coalesce until the late 1940s and early 1950s, when air pollution disasters on two continents raised an alarm. Both the 1948 "killer fog" in the small town of Denora, Pennsylvania, that killed 50, and the particularly virulent London "fog" of 1952, in which some 4,000 died, were associated with widespread use of dirty fuels and were catalysts for government efforts to tackle urban air pollution. Source: World Resources Institute

Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air pollution actually poses a greater health risk on a global level than outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution is a concern where, for example, energy efficiency improvements sometimes make houses relatively airtight, reducing ventilation and raising indoor pollutant levels. In such circumstances, even small pollution sources emanating from a furnace, a new carpet, or from naturally occurring radon gas can lead to significant human exposures.

Who is Vulnerable to Air Pollution?

Vulnerable groups include infants, the elderly, and those suffering from chronic respiratory conditions including asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema. However, even healthy adults can suffer negative effects Many of air pollution's health effects, such as bronchitis, tightness in the chest, and wheezing, are acute, or short term, and can be reversed if air pollution exposures decline. Other effects appear to be chronic, such as lung cancer and cardiopulmonary disease. In fact, in the United States, two long-term epidemiological studies representing some of the most significant recent research on air pollution effects documented an increase in the death rate of those chronically exposed to dirty air. These studies, which compared death rates among many U.S. cities with widely varying pollution levels, found that mortality rates were 17 to 26 percent higher in cities with the dirtiest air compared with those with the cleanest air, and those with the dirtiest air had significantly higher rates of lung cancer and cardiopulmonary disease. These increased risks translate roughly to a 1- to 2-year shorter life span for residents of the most polluted cities. Higher infant mortality rates have also been associated with high particulate levels.

What can be done when pollution levels are high?

Be aware that, if you do have a breathing problem, your symptoms may worsen.
Try to recognise the kinds of days when air quality is likely to be high.
Call the Air Quality Hotline so that you know the forecast - Freephone 0800 317 947
Speak to your doctor or practice nurse about what action is appropriate for you to take when air quality is poor.
Avoid strenuous outdoor activity.