Impact of Pollution: Causes, Health Risks, and Precaution Tips

India is the second most polluted country. Every year, approx. 7 million people die due to exposure to fine particles in polluted air, which leads to stroke, lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections. If we measure life expectancy, pollution is a significant threat to human health in India, taking 5.4 years off the life average of India's life expectancy by about 4.5 years, while child and maternal life expectancy reduces life expectancy by 1.8 years. Its impact is dangerous to women, as well as newborns and young children. Poor air quality causes respiratory problems, eye irritation, and restlessness in animals. In this blog, we will highlight the health risks caused by pollution, like respiratory problems and cardiovascular diseases, and the long-term effects that lead to cancer and reduced life expectancy. We will also cover how to minimize the impact of pollution exposure on health. 

Key Factors that contribute to Pollution

Several factors contribute to pollution, including: 

• Industrial emission: Many industries increase their energy consumption during the winter to meet heating and production demands. This is another leading cause of higher emissions of air pollutants.
• Vehicular Emission: During cold weather, the usage of personal vehicles increases, which causes higher emissions of carbon monoxide and other pollutants. 
• Air pollution due to dust and waste burning: Stubble burning is common in North India after harvesting. The farmers burn the leftover stubble to clear the land for the next crop, a severe cause of air pollution. As per stats, dust and construction contribute 59% of the air pollution in India, followed by waste burning.
• Meteorological conditions: The temperature inversions and stagnant air can exacerbate pollution problems. The winter season is more stagnant, and air movement is slow during this period. This is one of the major causes of stagnation that can trap pollutants in a local area, and worsens the air quality.
• Heating emissions: The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, wood, and natural gas, releases pollutants like particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the air.

Health Risks of Pollution 

Exposure to pollution causes a wide range of health diseases, including short-term and long-term. From stroke, COPD, trachea, bronchus, respiratory infection, and lung cancer, pollution is the leading cause factor. The World Health Organization (WHO) has amassed evidence linking air pollution exposure to health conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and systemic inflammation. 

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has designated air pollution, particularly PM2.5 particles, as a primary cause of cancer. A recent global review revealed that chronic air pollution exposure can harm every organ, further complicating and worsening pre-existing health problems. Here are some of the health risks associated with air pollution:

• Respiratory diseases: Pollution can affect lung development and can lead to asthma, emphysema, and COPD-like health issues. Increases in the prevalence of asthma in urban areas are linked with outdoor air pollution. As per research, ozone and PM2.5 cause asthma-related issues in children. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks and worsen symptoms, making breathing harder. Pollution exposure may cause symptoms like shortness of breath; if you are experiencing these symptoms, consult your doctor and take the Asthma Rhinitis Allergy Panel test from Redcliffe Labs. 
• Cardiovascular diseases: AS per the NTP report, pollution increases the risk of blood pressure in pregnant women, which can lead to preterm birth, low birth weight, and maternal and fetal disease and death. Moreover, long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with a higher risk of stroke.
• Cancers:  Particulate matter (PM2.5) is linked to lung cancer and other respiratory system cancers. As per a study, more than 57000 women who live near roadways are at higher risk of breast cancer. Pollution is linked to oxidative stress and inflammation in human cells, causing chronic diseases and cancer. 
• Developmental issues: Children may experience reduced lung growth, which can cause decreased lung function at a young age.
• Neurological Effects: Many research suggests that air pollution may have cognitive and neurological effects, which can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
• Metabolic and Systemic Effects: Air pollution is associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity, systemic inflammation, and other metabolic and systemic disorders.

Whom does pollution affect the most?

Pollution affects everyone's health, but certain groups are at higher risk. 9 out of 10 people who live in urban areas are affected by air pollution. 

• Older adults: Older adults are more vulnerable to the health risks of pollution due to weakened immune systems and pre-existing health conditions. As per NIEHS, dementia is linked to air pollution in older women. Osteoporosis is more common in women than men. As per a study, high pollution levels are linked with bone deterioration in the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women.
• Children: Pollution exposure leads to long-term respiratory infections, asthma, and bronchitis symptoms and increases the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. 
• Pregnant Women and Infants: In pregnant women, pollution of PM 2.5 can impact the development of a child's brain. This may also increase the risk of cognitive health issues during adolescence. As per studies, exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy is linked to reduced birth weight in newborns. Moreover, pregnant women who are exposed to high levels of pollution in the third trimester are at double the risk of having a baby with autism.
• Outdoor Workers: People involved in outdoor occupations, such as construction workers, farmers, and traffic police, are at health risk. 
• People in Urban Areas: Urban populations are at higher risk of pollution exposure due to more traffic and industrial activity. 
• People with Pre-Existing Health Conditions: People who have diseases like asthma, COPD, heart disease, or diabetes are more sensitive to the harmful effects of pollution. 

How to reduce the impact of pollution on health?

Here are some tips that can help to reduce the health effects of pollution:

• Keep windows closed, wear masks, and use air purifiers in your home.
• Know the air quality status in your area by monitoring air quality indexes and forecasts. 
• Use public transportation, carpool, bike, or walk to reduce emissions from personal vehicles. 
• Use energy-efficient appliances and lighting to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
• Do not burn wood or waste materials and crop leftovers.
• Try to limit your outdoor activities on poor air quality days.
• Green areas absorb pollutants and improve air quality, so try to support creating and maintaining green spaces in your local community.
• Raise awareness about the health risks of pollution in your community and educate others on how to reduce their exposure. 
• Take routine health checkups, including Immunity Test-Advance, to know your immunity and overall health status. Pollution may affect your immunity and taking immunity testing helps to determine the immune system status. These tests help to diagnose a wide range of diseases, disorders and infections.

Reducing the impact of pollution on health requires the collective effort of every person, including the local community and government. By minimizing pollution and taking regular health checkups, we can protect the health and the well-being of future generations.