Air Pollution: The Health Effects of Poor Air Quality

Air pollution is a big problem globally, and sharing a similar ecosystem means what starts in a country may eventually affect others. Since the air we breathe in is an important determinant of our health and many other things, it is surprising that air pollution keeps increasing every day despite all efforts made to reduce it.

The health effects of breathing in poor air quality can affect vital body organs and leave a big and lasting effect on health. This is why you must take proper control over the air you inhale. While it may be impossible to control the quality of all air we breathe, you can ensure that indoor air is safe for your health. Learn more about that here.

Air pollution opens the door to numerous health risks, and they include:

• Frequent asthma attack

One of the health effects of air pollution is that it can increase asthma attack cases for those already dealing with this health problem. This means that if you are in this situation, it is recommended that you do not breathe in poor quality air. It is vital to know that you cannot actually change the quality of the air you breathe outside. However, going out with your inhaler can help prevent attacks.

Also, keeping the air in your home healthy should be your top priority. You can easily do this using options like keeping the air duct cleaned and replacing a dirty air filter.

• Lung damage

Another health effect of breathing in contaminated air is that it may lead to lung damage. For instance, particle pollution inhaled through the air is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Also, exposing young children to polluted air is responsible for impacting the lung. Given that lung damage is often a permanent health condition that cannot be entirely healed, you must learn to protect yourself and the people around you from such occurrences.

Even where air pollution does not cause permanent damage, it can still be responsible for a lung infection in younger children and irritation and lung swelling in adults.

• Short breathing

Air pollution can also affect the heart and cause victims to experience shortness of breath. If not timely attended to, this can result in other cardiovascular diseases and negatively impact your health. Keeping this in mind will keep you conscious of how dangerous this constant air pollution can be for your health, and it will ensure that you protect yourself from it.

What to do about air pollution?

You can be exposed to bad quality air in two places: outdoor and indoor. If you are out all day, work in an environment where polluted air is everywhere near, or just live in such an area, it may be impossible to escape inhaling polluted air. If you do not necessarily need to go out, then you can protect yourself by ensuring that you do not go for unnecessary outdoor engagements. However, if you stay at home or work at home, you are less likely to be affected by this unless you go outside.

Either way, the major way to handle air pollution depends on where you are. If you are at home, improving the air quality is a good option. However, it is crucial to cover your nose with a mask cover if you are outside since you cannot filter the air outside.

How can you increase the quality of your indoor air?

• Get an air purifier

Staying at home does not mean you should be dealing with mold and polluted air. You can protect yourself from several health complications associated with this by getting yourself an air purifier. Simply put, an air purifier helps remove the contaminant in the air. Even if this does not entirely remove the contaminant and allergens, you can still be sure that the indoor air is safe and suitable for your health.

• Get a humidifier

Both purifiers and humidifiers work distinctively, and they are two different products. Purifier filters the air while the humidifier refreshes the house. Combining the two can give you fantastic results and fill your house with fresh and healthy air. Also, some humidifiers come with a fragrance that allows your house to scent all nice long.

• Allow fresh air in the house

Leave your window open once in a while to allow fresh air into the house. Even if this is not every day, you can still ensure that mold and allergens trapped in the house can leave. Another essential place to check is the kitchen..

• Do regular cleaning

If you want to maintain your house clean and free of filthy air, you should clean it on a regular basis. Get yourself an efficient vacuum cleaner that allows you to thoroughly clean your rug and carpet.

If you do not have enough time to do all this, it is advisable to give out the job to someone who knows how. This way, you can prevent stress and have a clean home.

Conclusion

A clean environment encompasses everything and more, as well as the entire globe. Several steps have been made to ensure that it is functional. However, several minor health issues like coughing and sore throat are frequent with polluted air.

However, it is crucial to understand that exposure to air pollution can endanger your health and can affect you significantly. More and more research is going on to help detect more health effects of air pollution