This paper presents the issue of air pollution and discusses the latest findings of fundamental research with regard to its consequences on human health. It has a number of different emission sources, but motor. Even healthy people can experience health impacts from polluted air including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. Health risk estimates used to generate the map are based on average effects from the published empirical study of air pollution and cardiovascular disease. The effects of air pollution wreck havoc on human health and our planet as a whole. Has a causeand effect relationship been demonstrated. Retrospective study of effects of air pollution on human health bachelors thesis 66 pages. Health impacts of air pollution environmental defense fund.
While the epidemiological evidence for the health impacts of air pollution in india is strong, strengthening it in several aspects as outlined in this report would aid in more informed policymaking. Pdf effects of air pollution on human health and practical. Human health effects of air pollution climate nexus. Environmental health effect and air pollution from. Environmental effects along with harming human health, air pollution can cause a variety of environmental effects. Science has clearly shown that air pollution leads to disease, increased hospitalizations, and even premature death. For example, the effects of environmental degradation on human health can range from death caused by cancer due to air pollution to psychological problems resulting from noise. The respiratory and cardiovascular effects of air pollution are well documented. Air pollution is a major problem of recent decades, which has a serious toxicological impact on human health and the environment. Causes and remedies 279 1990 klt 580, attributed right to clean water as a right to life in article 21. This chapter attempts to describe the major impacts on human health of environmental degradation and to estimate the associ. It is the contaminants of air by the discharge of detrimental substances. Combined effect of ozone and sulphur dioxide on human pulmonary function.
A human health perspective on climate change full report 4mb a report outlining the research needs on the human health effects of climate change. The effects of air pollution on a persons health can range from mild breathing difficulties to severe cardiovascular issues, including heart disease and stroke. Environmental protection agency that offers daily air quality index updates for more than 400 cities. Box 2208, heraklion, 71003, greece received 4 june 2007. Health impacts of air pollution around the world, nine out of 10 people breathe unhealthy air.
Passenger vehicles and heavyduty trucks are a major. Its the smog that settles over some cities, dimming the skyline. This is having an equivalent effect to that of smoking tobacco, and much higher than, say, the effects of eating too much salt. Further reading particle pollution and your health pdf 2 pp, 320 k, about pdf. Health and environmental effects of particulate matter pm. The sources of pollution vary from small unit of cigarettes and natural sources such as volcanic activities to large volume of emission from motor engines of automobiles and industrial activities. In addition to the above series effect of air pollution the skin is also can be affected because the skin especially the epidermis upper surface, performs the role of a shield, but also one of the air pollutants first major objectives. Air pollution is the black cloud belching from an industrial smokestack. Effects of air pollution on human health and practical. Nearly one half of all americansan estimated 150 millionlive in areas that dont meet federal air quality standards. These acids are formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. Air pollution causes and effects on human health home. Sporadic air pollution events, like the historic london fog in 1952 and a number of short and long term epidemiological studies investigated the effects of air quality changes on human health. Polluted air may contain one or more hazardous substances that affect human health.
Effects of air pollution the atmosphere we live in and the environment that surrounds us is majorly formed of air. Noxious health effects caused by air pollution can be classified as due to either chronic or acute exposure. There are much other longterm health effects of air pollution on human. In relation to the air, there are different kinds of pollution that occur indoors as opposed to outdoors and vice versus. Air pollution is a major concern of new civilized world, which has a serious toxicological impact on human health and the environment. While air pollution is a complex mixture of substances, most health effects are associated with the major components of smog. These effects, as discussed in this report, depend fundamentally on the nature of the compound in question, the concentration in the air and the time of individual exposure. In most areas of europe, these pollutants are principally the products of combustion from space heating, power generation or from motor vehicle traffic. Regardless of national and global awareness, most americans havent realized how air pollution affects human health or the degree of its impact, even with seemingly marginal exposure. Air pollution is a mix of particles and gases that can reach harmful concentrations both outside and indoors. Natural sources include volcanoes, forest fires, pollen, and dust. Air pollution can have serious costs, penalties and consequences for the health of human beings and also ruthlessly distresses the natural bionetwork and ecosystems. Human health and environmental assessments are included as part of an air quality management program to characterize the human health and environmental risks associated with exposure to pollution.
A major study on urban pollution carried out in 650 cities worldwide has confirmed the fear that air pollution impacts on human health in the short term and is directly linked to the. Some of these effects are related to acid rain effects on materials. Human sources of air pollution include industry, power. Cars and trucks are one of the leading causes of air pollutionbut cleaner vehicles can help. Air pollution could affect the climate, the environment, and human health.
In some cases, pollution can exacerbate pulmonary issues that can lead to death. A number of prestigious international panels including a british committee on the medical effects of air pollutants and a committee of the health council of netherlands have concluded that there is a causeand effect relationship between particulate pollution and mortality. Study finds that these kinds of pollutions are not only seriously affecting the human by. Air pollution is now the biggest environmental risk for early death, responsible for as many as 5 million premature deaths each year from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and respiratory diseases.
Similarly, scientists have found that as the air pollution levels in southern california have dropped, so too have rates of bronchitic symptoms such as. Rather than discussing the health effects of the many different pollutants which can be found in indoor air, the approach has been to group broad categories of adverse health effects in separate chapters. Its the smelly exhaust of an old car that burns oil. It ranges from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory and heart disease, lung cancer, acute respiratory infections in children and chronic bronchitis in adults, aggravating preexisting heart and lung disease. Uscs childrens health study has studied the longterm effects of air pollution on children over the past 25 years and found that kids who move to areas with lower levels of pollution have improved lung function growth and performance. Air pollution causes and effects on human health the term pollution is a negative term we frequently hear used by the media and those in our community. The main air pollution indicators are so 2, nox, pm, co, voc and o 3. The health effects of air pollution are serious one third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer and heart disease are due to air pollution. There are challenges however that preclude high quality research on the health effects of air pollution from being. Human health effects of air pollution marilena kampa, elias castanas laboratory of experimental endocrinology, university of crete, school of medicine, p. Congress passed the clean air act in 1963, the issue of air pollution has remained embedded in american consciousness. The radiations destroy the cells in human body and causes cancer. An air quality data analysis system for interrelating effects, standards, and needed source reductions.
May 2016 environmental air pollution poses serious challenges to human health, the effects which are mostly seen as the respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Even though air pollution is usually a greater problem in cities, pollutants contaminate air anywhere everywhere osang et al 20. Air pollution facts, causes and the effects of pollutants in. A longer exposure to radioactive radiations can damage the dna cells that results in cancer, genetic defects for the generations to come and even death. Human health effects of air pollution sciencedirect. Effects of nuclear pollution the effects vary from organism to organism and from level of radioactivity of nuclear isotopes. Short term effects of air pollution include eye, nose and throat irritation, bronchitis and pneumonia, asthma and emphysema, and allergic reactions. Your actual risk of adverse effects depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and concentration, and the length of. A major study links pollution in cities with deaths of elderly and sick people on a daily basis. A major study on urban pollution carried out in 650 cities worldwide has confirmed the fear that air pollution impacts on human health in the short term and is directly linked to the deaths of elderly people and those already suffering from illness on a daily basis the study, performed by an international team of 50 scientists and published in the specialist new england journal of medicine. The map does not represent a individual risk of heart disease, because many factors that influence individual risk are not used to create this map. Impacts of air pollution on human health, ecosystems and. A constant finding is that air pollutants contribute to increased mortality and hospital admissions brunekreef and holgate, 2002. In this infographic you can know how it affects human beings.
Poor air quality increases respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of lifethreatening conditions like cancer, and burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs. However air can be broadly divided into either the healthypure air or unhealthyimpure air and the later has very harmful effects. Air pollution is a major problem in modern society. Air pollution causes damage to human health, crops, ecosystems and cultural heritage the scientific data presented in this brochure have been collated by the working group on. Road traffic has become the first source of air pollution in urban areas. How pollution impacts human health environmental defense fund. Learn who is at risk from exposure to particle pollution, what health effects you may experience as a result of particle exposure, and simple measures you can take to reduce your risk. The world health organization estimates that indoor air pollution from solid fuel leads to approximately 1.
Jul 18, 2014 the health risks of air pollution are extremely serious. Effects of air pollutants on human health your article library. This report contains a summary discussion of human health effects linked to iap in homes and other nonindustrial environments. 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. The effects of air pollution on human health huffpost life.
Air pollution and its effects on health case studies, india. In the second section, the consequences of air pollution on health are documented. Impact of air pollution on public health 5 traffic, heavy industry have lower iq and score worse memory tests than children from the cleaner environments. Managing air quality human health, environmental and. Impact of air pollution on public health intechopen. This paper provides the insight view about the affects of environment pollution in the perspective of air pollution, water and land soil waste pollution on human by diseases and problems, animals and trees plants. The adverse health effects of air pollution exposure on human health are well documented brunekreef and holgate, 2002. Of the various kinds of pollution, the air pollution has attracted high priority in respect of environmental regulation since the environmental damage due to such pollution mostly affects human wellbeing directly by way of adverse health effects on the population exposed to it. Air pollution, even at low levels, has an impact on human health. Air pollution causes and effects on human health home air. Among these areas, the health is the main focus of this paper thomson scientific, 2005. Weather patterns such as temperature inversions hold the pollution in place. Acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids.
During londons smog disaster in 1952, about four thousand people died in just a few days because of a. Learn about what causes air pollution and how to help reduce the effects. These substances include various gases and tiny particles, or particulates that can harm human health and damage the environment obi et al 2008, ewona et al 2012. Air pollution comes from natural and humangenerated sources. A lognormal model relating human lung function decrease to o3 exposure. Effects of air pollution a variety of air pollutants have known or suspected harmful effects on human health and the environment. Beeson w, abbey d and knutsen s 1998 longterm concentrations of ambient air pollutants and incident lung cancer in california adults. Health effects caused by air pollutants depend on the absorbed dose, the type of pollutants and the individual susceptibility. Health effects related to air pollution include its impact on the pulmonary, cardiac, vascular and. India ranks th most polluted country with an annual mean of 109.
In this context, the paper by yim et al 2015isa valuable contribution toward the assessment of emissions and health effects of civil aviation. Its effects can range from higher disease risks to rising temperatures. Air pollution has both acute and chronic effects on human health, affecting a number of different systems and organs. The main consequences of air pollution are global warming, acid rain, smog, ozone depletion etc.