How Does Air Pollution Affect Our Health?

Human beings need air, or oxygen, to live. Our lungs fill with air (inhalation) and we expel that air out (exhalation), over and over, for all of our lives. If the air we inhale is polluted, our lungs will react to that pollution by having both short- and long-term health effects. People with chronic respiratory illnesses, like allergies and asthma have even more difficulty with polluted air.

The Breathing Process

Clean air is breathed in and oxygen is processed, then carbon dioxide is released upon exhalation. Carbon dioxide is harmful to humans and that is why our bodies use the gas exchange system to release this build-up of the harmful gas. When you breathe in polluted air, you are breathing in this harmful gas, rather than exhaling it. Breathing polluted air is like breathing in your own gases that your body is supposed to be releasing.

Breathing Polluted Air

Your lungs are essentially exposed membranes on the inside of your body. The air you breath in is filtered through the membrane then goes to air sacs in the body. The air sacs are where the oxygen is filtered and exchanged with carbon dioxide. When you exhale, you release the dangerous carbon dioxide. When the air you breathe is polluted in the first place, the toxins are then placed in the membranes and air sacs. The toxins can break down the cellular structures in the lungs and infiltrate respiratory structures, causing chronic respiratory distress.

Effects on Our Health

Short-term effects of air pollution on our health include irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and acute upper respiratory infections (like bronchitis or pneumonia). Air pollution can also aggravate asthma and emphysema. Long-term health effects of air pollution are the cause of chronic disease and illnesses, like cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, damage to the brain and nervous system and concentration problems.