Why is air pollution an issue?
Air pollution is a major human health issue, causing 8 million premature deaths annually according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
99% of the world’s population breathe in air every day which exceeds the World Health Organization guidelines. Low and middle-income countries have the highest exposure levels to pollution.
Air pollution is a type of pollution which is silent in our day-to-day, as we do not generally see it. This means people know less about air pollution and the effects it has on them and their families. I wanted to write this blog post to raise awareness of air pollution. So, everyone can live happier and healthier.
What is particulate matter?
We breathe in particulate matter, as it is anything that is suspended in the air. Either solid particles like dust or liquid droplets. We measure particulate matter, known in short for PM, in Microns. PM 10 is anything smaller than ten microns (including PM2.5). Particulate matter 10 is around five times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. PM 2.5 is anything under 2.5 microns. These are two of the main measurements for air pollution.
What is the World Air Quality Index (WAQI)
WAQI is a tool to help see the daily air quality around the world. We measure air quality in six categories ranging from healthy to hazardous. These categories use a scale from 0 to 500, with a higher number corresponding to a higher pollution level and a higher rating.
Follow this link to see the current air quality in your city. https://waqi.info/
What does the World Air Quality Index measure?
The WAQI measures PM 2.5, PM 10, Ozone, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide and Carbon Monoxide, hourly at air quality stations, to decide the rating. (Not all cities will have all these measurements, but most will have current PM 2.5 and PM10 levels)
How does the World Air Quality Index relate to your health?
If you are in an area with Hazardous, Very Unhealthy, or Unhealthy air quality, you may experience health effects. Unhealthy and Moderate levels of pollution may start to affect sensitive groups of the public. A Good rating of air quality is the global goal, posing minimal health risks to the public.
Natural vs Human Induced Air Pollution
Volcanic activity, dust storms, salt spray and wildfire smoke are natural air pollutants.
Most of the air pollution that we have today has been from anthropogenic sources. Greenhouse gases, Smog and Toxic pollutants are the three main categories of air pollution.
Indoor vs Outdoor Air Pollution
Transport, factories and coal power plants are examples of outdoor pollution sources. Around 80% of the air pollution produced is from car exhaust emissions.
Cooking, indoor train stations, cleaning products and smoking are some examples of indoor pollution sources. One-third of the world’s population still cooks on open fires. This creates lots of indoor pollution. Developing countries are actively working on this problem by changing policies.
Outdoor air pollution was responsible for 4.2 million deaths in 2019. Indoor air pollution was responsible for 3.2 million deaths in 2020.
Three main categories of anthropogenic sources of air pollution
Greenhouse gas (GHGs)
Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases are common greenhouse gasses found in our air. They come from the combustion of fossil fuels. We need greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere to keep our planet warm and protect us from harmful UV rays. Since the Industrial Revolution, human-added GHGs have driven climate change.
Effects on Human Health
GHGs also have adverse health effects when exposed over long periods. Continuous exposure to these gasses harms many body systems, including respiratory, central nervous, cardiovascular, immune, reproductive and digestive systems.
To combat these effects, we must work together to reduce our GHG emissions, and improve air quality for everyone.
Smog
Types of Smog
There are two main types of smog. Sulphurous smog is from burning coal which produces sulphur oxides. Photochemical smog, also known as ground-level ozone, forms from interactions between sunlight, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides. Volatile organic compounds are released from paints, petrol and cleaning solvents. Nitrogen oxides come from car exhausts, factory emissions and coal power plants.
Ozone high in the atmosphere is beneficial for everything on the planet. As it blocks harmful radiation from coming through the atmosphere. But ozone on the surface of the earth (aka ground-level ozone) is bad for human, animal and plant health.
You can tell if there is smog in the local environment from its distinct brown haze. You may also be able to smell and taste the smog.
Effects on Plant Health
Smog harms plants, as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxides and ground-level ozone all enter through the plant’s stomatal pores. These gasses effect plant photosynthesis, damage cells, and impairs tissue functions. Ground-level ozone at the time of this study was the biggest threat to forest ecosystems.
To help protect our forests from smog we must decrease concentrations of ground-level ozone. The EU has been doing this with the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive to help protect their forests.
Effects on Human Health
Smog can irritate eyes, causes respiratory stress, worsen heart and lung problems and contains carcinogenic compounds.
Toxic pollutants
Oil and gas combustion and waste incineration releases toxic pollutants such as mercury, lead, benzene and dioxins into the atmosphere.
Effects on Human Health
The health effects of these toxic pollutants are cancer, birth defects and reproductive issues. We are exposed to toxic pollutants through the air, water, food and soil.
Many clean air acts around the world are decreasing the release of these toxic chemicals.
“If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan cities for people and places, you get people and places.”- Fred Kent (NYC city planner)
Air pollution effects on human health
Particulate matter 2.5 is small enough to bypass our nose hairs and throat and into our lungs. From there, it can be transported to our bloodstream through gas exchange in alveoli. PM2.5 concentrations are extremely deadly for people. Every 10 micrograms/m^3 of PM 2.5 in the air, linked to 15% to 27% higher lung cancer death rates.
The short-term effects of air pollution may improve when you reduce exposure to the pollutants. These effects are headaches, a sore throat, high blood pressure, tiredness and having a wheezy cough. It may also lead to developing heart conditions and the worsening of asthma and allergies.
The chronic/long-term health effects of air pollution may be irreversible. These may increase heart attack and disease risk, affect children’s IQ and lung function, worsen asthma, and lead to death. Air pollution has also been linked to lung cancer.
Studies have linked both short- and long-term effects to reduced life expectancy and premature death. Air pollution effects worsen near high-pollution sources like roads and factories.
Sherebanu Frosh is a campaigner for Mothers for Clean Air in Delhi, India. “We are smoking about seven cigarettes a day on average in Delhi. In the winter it goes up to about twenty cigarettes.” She says in an interview with DW Plant A. She also says that it is terrible because a newborn child smokes that many cigarettes a day. She was devasted to share that her children smoked 2,500 cigarettes, last year, due to air pollution. This interview shocked me and revealed more reason to air pollutions silent danger.
How do we Improve Air Quality for everyone?
How do we improve air quality on a global level?
We need to act on improving air quality from its source. Legislation is needed for cleaner engines, low-sulphur fuel and electric vehicles. We need countries to agree on a legally binding document to improve the worlds air quality.
The World Health Organization has released Global Air Quality Guidelines to improve air quality and public health. This is not a legally binding document though, hopefully, in the future they form one.
How do we improve air quality on a national level?
We should promote importing more electric and hybrid cars into the country. Alongside subsidising public transport to make it more appealing for people to use.
We can start planning our cities to be compact to reduce travelling distance and urban sprawl. This will create more walkable cities like Florence, Madrid and Stockholm.
Add policies to make safe walking and biking spaces. Which can lead to car-free or limited traffic zones, creating connected and slower communities.
How do we improve air quality on a personal level?
Use apps to check you cities Air Quality Index to stay informed. You may also be able to see or smell the air pollution on hazardous days. So, on these days, wear a mask when you are outside to reduce the health effects. N95 respirators have been found to be the best for reducing PM 2.5 and Carbon Monoxide levels, with a 22%-39% reduction in wildfire related hospitalisations. Surgical masks are also good with a reduction in Carbon Monoxide and a 9%-24% reduction in wildfire related hospitalisations.
We need to focus on heating our homes with cleaner sources of energy e.g. swapping wood-burning fires for heat pumps. Use dry wood or pellets for heating and consider moving to a low emission wood burner to improve your air quality.
Improve the insulation in your home so you rely less on heating. Also, use ventilation e.g. opening windows and air purifiers in your home. Just remember to clean and replace the filters.
When building a new home, consider putting your house back from the road, taller chimneys and use plants as a barrier between your house and the road. House plants have been found to aid in absorbing Volatile organic compounds from the air. So, this is just another reason to get more houseplants, Yay!!!
Benefits of walking and biking as a mode of transport
In my lectures recently, we have been going over sustainable urban transport, which was very interesting.
As I was saying above, we can increase air quality by the ways we plan our cities. Walkable and bikeable cities encourage more people to walk and bike. Many of the world Blue Zones, where people live the longest, have walkable cities. As well as reducing the air pollution caused by car exhausts, walking and biking have other benefits.
Increased Mental Health
Walking and biking are linked to better mental health. This statistic makes sense to me, as I bike to university every day. When I am biking, it brings me joy as I’m outdoors, breathing fresh air and listening to birdsong. I also get incredibly excited when I see a cute dog! Biking also brings me a sense of community that driving lacks.
Decreased Obesity
Obesity rates are directly related to the amount a country walks and bikes. Studies show that European countries, with high biking and walking rates have much lower obesity rates compared to USA and Australia.
Daily Exercise
On my bike to and from university, it is around 7km and takes me 20 minutes, providing 40 minutes of moderate daily exercise. This easily meets the goal of 30 minutes of moderate daily exercise. This is very easy to achieve when biking or walking to work, school, sports or the shops.
So, to increase our health and air quality, biking and walking is a great start. We just need to encourage local governments to put resources into creating bike-friendly cities. Because the main barrier for people not biking is they do not feel safe biking on the roads. When people feel safe, biking becomes more diverse, with more women, elderly and children out and about.
Improved Air Quality
When you are in a car, you have the highest exposure to air pollution compared to other transportation. Cycling and walking on paths off the road reduces your exposure, compared to biking directly behind a vehicle. Studies have shown that pollutants rapidly decrease in the first 100-150m from the road. This is why we need to invest in infrastructure, away from roads. Overall, biking and walking will improve your air quality, mental health and physical health. So why not give it a go!!
Thank you for reading!!
I hope you now understand air pollution, its health impacts and how we can improve air quality for a better future for everyone!
I challenge you if you feel comfortable, to give biking or walking a go. Bring your family and friends along and see how you feel after!
Georgia xo
