Calcutta, India - January 20, 2013: Pedestrians cross the road in front of motorcycles, cars and buses at the crossroads on January 20, 2013 in India. Kolkata has a density of 814.80 vehicles per km road length
Are American cities dirtier? Apparently, many of them are, at least when it comes to air quality.
A Newsweek piece from May shows reports from the American Lung Association that indicate worsening problems with asthma, respiratory problems, and other secondary health effects from air pollutants in many parts of the country, including the American Midwest and the Northwest.
Over 150 million Americans, or nearly half the population, are in places with failing grades in terms of particular air pollutants – ozone and ultrafine particles.
At the same time, Anna Skinner reports some of the most unhealthy places are improving, as stakeholders put a lot of effort into cleaning up the air. Skinner’s article quotes Katherine Pruitt, senior director of Nationwide Clean Air Policy at the ALA:
“The most concerning of course are the places where people are breathing the worst air over the most days,” Pruitt said. “Los Angeles, for example, has an average of over 150 days a year of unhealthy levels of ozone smog. This is actually an improvement from the 230 days a year in our first ‘State of the Air’ report in 2000. Air quality program managers and decisionmakers in CA recognize the seriousness of the problem and have been working hard and long to clean up their air.”
Despite this work to improve our air quality, so many American communities are in danger.
The Ozone Problem
The same study showed that a primary factor in air pollution is ozone. This is a chemical component that can be formed from various chemical reactions.
The NOAA has just released a report that wildfires can cause ozone pollution downwind, due to some of these chemical interactions.
In other words, the fires themselves put off chemical cocktails that lead to ozone generation. That’s in addition to ozone that may come from vehicle exhaust, for example, or industrial processes.
Why is this important? Ozone is harmful to human health, especially at higher levels.
Ozone in California
A recent report showed the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) including many parts of Orange County, Los Angeles and Riverside and San Bernardino county in an ozone advisory this month. It was what experts call a “multi-day event” – as higher levels of ozone sat in the local air, officials urged the most sensitive Californians to stay inside. The advisory covered places as far-flung as Pasadena, Santa Clarita, Riverside and even Indio. (Side note: We have been working with the AQMD for two years to provide air purifiers to lower-income residents!)
The report notes that ozone levels are generally higher in the afternoon and early evening.
This hazard, they say, is most sensitive for children, pregnant women, and others with weakened immune systems. Some tips include limiting the use of gas powered items, keeping doors and windows shut, and running air purifiers in a home or business space.
Limiting Other Indoor Pollution
In reading some of these reports, we see that officials locally asked people to avoid fireplace fires, candles, and incense, because of already high pollutant levels.
We’ve written about what each of these items can do to your indoor air. All three of them generate those kinds of particles and pollutants that can impact your health.
That means that a fireplace fire will emit PM 2.5 or small particles. So will burning incense. So will candles. In addition, candles and incense will have various byproducts that can put off other chemical pollutants.
Health Effects from Ozone
Ozone can have these kinds of effects on human health – which is why it’s important to limit your exposure, and know about what this chemical compound can do to the human body.
Short-term effects:
· Irritation of eyes, nose, and throat (burning, itching, watery eyes)
· Coughing and chest tightness
· Worsening of asthma symptoms (wheezing, shortness of breath)
· Reduced lung function (making it harder to breathe deeply or exercise)
· Headaches and fatigue
Medium-term effects
· Increased respiratory infections (bronchitis, pneumonia risk)
· Inflammation of airways
· Greater sensitivity to allergens (like pollen, dust, or mold)
· Exacerbation of chronic respiratory conditions (COPD, emphysema)
Long term effects
· Permanent lung damage (scarring and decreased lung capacity)
· Accelerated decline in lung function with age
· Higher risk of chronic respiratory diseases
· Possible contribution to premature death from cardiovascular or respiratory illness
Health effects from PM 2.5
As for PM 2.5, which is a term for small particles that come from many of the same kinds of air pollution, scientists have identified these general health effects:
· Aggravation of asthma and respiratory symptoms (coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath)
· Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes due to cardiovascular function
· Reduced lung function and accelerated decline with age
· Increased risk of chronic diseases like COPD, lung cancer, and heart disease
· Risk of premature death from cardiovascular and respiratory causes
These are other things to look out for as we assess the health of our air and the quality of our environment in general.
The Solution
As mentioned, officials are advising people to run air purifiers in their homes, to keep their indoor air clean.
For best results, it’s recommended to start running the air purifier a week or so before you end up with a problem. After July 4, we wrote about how health experts told people to start running their machines in June, so that they’re ahead of the curve when lots of pollution from fireworks makes its way into the local air, including cadmium and other heavy metals and more.
We should start thinking about the quality of our air. Many people are thinking about that more, because they’re seeing firsthand the impact of wildfires all around them. And preserving the quality of your indoor air is something practical you can do to help promote better health this year and in the years to come.
US Air Purifiers LLC can help you to select the best air purifiers for your needs.