We need air to live, but one need only look around at the environment to see the effects polluted air can have on such things as buildings, monuments, statues, trees, crops and animals. It reduces how far we can see on hazy days and can even cause problems with air travel.
The good news is that the issue could be much worse. Since 1970, when Congress created the Environment Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air Act, air quality has improved. The Clean Air Act gave the federal government authority to prosecute air polluters. Today, working in conjunction with states, Native American tribes, industries, local governments and environmental groups, the EPA has programs in place that reduce air pollution levels.
Also helping were stringent new laws that penalized irresponsible factory owners. In the 1970s, companies started performing environmental site evaluations to evaluate the cleanups necessary for certain sites used previously for chemical and other toxic waste use or disposal. As court decisions added liability to property owners for cleaning up their sites, use increased, bringing with it bans on creating toxic waste that helped curtail air pollution.
Pollution's Effect on Health
Polluted air can burn the nose and eyes. It can irritate the throat and make breathing difficult, particularly for those with existing lung problems. If airborne particles and ozone levels are too high, they can cause respiratory difficulty for the nearly 30 million adults and children in the United States with asthma and other breathing issues. Those with heart problems and other respiratory diseases also suffer.
Air pollution has many components, including such toxic chemicals as vinyl chloride and benzene, both of which have been found to cause birth defects, cancer, long-term lung injuries, nerve problems and brain damage. Get a strong enough dose, and the chemicals can even kill.
Pollution works against health -- even indirectly. Some pollutants can thin the ozone layer, leading to an increase in skin cancer and cataracts, and can lead to acid rain and ground-level ozone that damages trees, wildlife, crops and lakes.
Hidden Dangers of Pollution
Pollution is generally not dangerous. But underlying conditions can be exacerbated by pollution and create life-threatening problems.
Here are four breathing disorders affected by air pollution:
1) Asthma: Wheezing may increase as you’re exposed to more irritants.
2) COPD: Because you already have breathing difficulties, major organs may struggle to compete with the new burdens.
3) Emphysema: Another breathing issue that may be exacerbated by pollution and particle counts, emphysema suffers could have severe attacks under certain conditions.
4) Chronic Bronchitis: Because you are already susceptible to this lung disease, the pollution conditions gradually may make you feel worse.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Fortunately, there are treatments available to ease and comfort those suffering from the above afflictions. A series of tests is necessary to determine if you have a breathing disorder caused by pollution. These include:
1) Imaging tests - An X-ray may not provide total evidence because X-rays can often be fooled and show normal results. Thus, a medical professional may recommend a CT (computerized tomography) scan.
2) Blood test - Samples will be drawn from an extremity, usually an artery in the wrist, to better determine how well the lungs function.
3) Lung tests - These are a series of exercises that will determine the air power of lungs, measuring their capacity and flow, as well as how effectively they deliver oxygen to the bloodstream. The most common tests involve a spirometer, which you blow into to measure lung function. All of these tests are non-invasive.
Although many pollution-caused diseases have no cure, there are effective ways to help patients manage them. They include:
1) Bronchodilators. The drug provides coughing relief and can help with breathing issues by relaxing the constricted airways, creating bigger pathways for airflow.
2) Inhaled steroids. These are aerosolized corticosteroid drugs that are inhaled, much as nasal decongestants are used. They will relieve shortness of breath, but they have side effects, including weakening bones and increasing the likely development of high blood pressure, diabetes and cataracts.
3) Antibiotics. These are used to fight acute bronchitis or pneumonia, which can complicate your condition.
4) Pulmonary rehab – Pulmonary therapists teach ways to cope with shortness of breath. These include breathing exercises and ways to control breathlessness so you are not gasping for air.
5) Oxygen - For those who have end-stage lung problems with extremely low blood oxygen levels, it may be necessary to have supplementary oxygen to provide some relief. The oxygen is administered with a mask or narrow tubing and may be used 24-hours a day in severe cases.
6) Nutrition - This is guidance that can help you lose weight, which can ease the burdens on your system. For those in the very late stages of certain diseases, the process may be reversed, and they will need to gain weight.
7) Surgery - There are surgical techniques that may ease symptoms. These include lung volume reduction, in which small wedges of damaged lung tissue are removed to help the rest of the lung tissue expand and work better, thereby improving breathing; or a lung transplant, which will remove the diseased lungs and replace them with new ones.
Pollution Self-Care
Because air pollution is found practically everywhere, it’s hard to isolate yourself from its effects. But there are certain steps you can take that will help reduce exposure and cause fewer irritations.
If you have someone to handle outdoor chores like lawn mowing, weeding and other gardening, allow them to perform their tasks without your supervision. If you do go outside, change clothes upon your return and isolate them in a hamper or other container used to store them before washing. Shower to rinse any lingering, clinging pollution or other irritants from the skin.
Finally, if you have access to a medical supplies store, consider wearing a dust mask during particularly severe pollution days. Many weather reports will give an air pollution index, and on high days, it’s time to strap on a mask.