free Air Pollution Notes Effects of Air Pollutants notes

- more deaths from respiratory disease are found in areas with higher air pollution
- higher number of people with common colds where air pollution is higher
- people have poor respiratory function in areas of high air pollution
- when air pollution is high, there are more hospital admissions for allergies, breathing difficulty, and heart disease
- long term exposure to air pollution is known to damage lung tissue

Diseases Associated with Air Pollution

- an estimated $110 B in annual health care costs and 130,000 deaths per year in North America
- made worse by the amount of time we spend indoors and the chemicals in our environment

Chronic Bronchitis
- tiny hairs in the bronchial tubes are damaged
- can't sweep mucus out and the mucus interferes with gas exchange
- symptoms - shortness of breath, coughing

Bronchial Asthma
- bronchial tubes swell and narrows the air passage
- extra mucus is produced
- symptoms - shortness of breath, can lead to asthma attack

Emphysema
- air sacs in lungs become stiff
- they are unable to exchange gases so breathing is difficult
- symptoms - shortness of breath, breathing difficulty

Pneumonia and other infections
- tend to occur more often in high air pollution
- the build up of mucus in the lungs traps bacteria which causes infections

Lung Cancer
- inhaled smoke and other pollutants cause cells in the lungs and respiratory tract to become cancerous
- some can break away and develop tumors elsewhere in the body

Pollutants

Carcinogens
- chemicals or other agents that cause cancer
- some require long term exposure to be cancer causing
- asbestos, benzene, arsenic, vinyl chloride, radiation
- tobacco smoke causes over 3,000 deaths per year in non-smokers

Respiratory Irritants
- small chemicals that irritate the lining of the lungs
- includes sulfates, nitrates, ozone, cigarette smoke, other smoke, dust

Particulates
- very small airborne particles that can get dep into the lung tissue
- over 60,000 deaths per year
- examples are dust and smoke

Carbon monoxide (CO)
- this gas is created during the combustion of fossil fuels
- it is absorbed by the blood
- combines with hemoglobin; stops hemoglobin from carrying oxygen to all cells of the body
- causes fatigue, dizziness, impaired judgment, and eventually death

Mercury
- absorbed by the body and stored in the blood
- present in water ecosystems because of leaching and use by humans
- becomes toxic by interfering with the nervous system and kidneys
- leads to insanity, nervous disorders, and kidney failure

Lead
- interferes with nervous system and development of children. Very dangerous for small children and pregnant women
- source used to be leaded gasoline and paint
- causes brain damage, mental retardation, kidney disorder