The Effects Of Air Pollution On Respiratory Health

Pollution continues to pose an enormous threat to residents of urban cities worldwide. In the August 2008 Monthly Update, it is stated that approximately 800,000 deaths each year can be attributed to outdoor air pollution, making pollution the single most harmful environmental hazard to human health in urban areas (Kallman). The fact that pollution kills hundreds of thousands of people each year alone portrays just how dangerous living in these conditions can be. Kallman writes about a study which proves an increase in upper respiratory diseases, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality, and low birth weights when exposed to air pollutants (August 2008: Monthly Update). These can be very serious diseases and complications which, when contracted, can lead to death or very serious illnesses. There

It is important to research environmental risk factors that influence asthma in low income neighborhoods to find possible ways to prevent asthma. The study “Urban Asthma and the Neighborhood Environment in New York City” proves that there is a positive correlation between neighborhoods and asthma hospitalizations.2 Children in lower income neighborhoods are more likely to be hospitalized due to asthma. Those living in lower income neighborhoods also tend to be minorities, which implies that African Americans and Latinos are more susceptible to asthma.2 Moreover, minorities are more likely to be living in public housing. The study explains that 11% of all housing units in Harlem is broken down and not suitable for living which proves that there is a positive correlation between the population of minorities and living in run-down housing and asthma related hospitalization.2

There are various types of air pollution contributors in California such as fire generated pollutants and vehicle traffic, which add particulate matter and carbon monoxide into the air we breathe. According to an article by Union of Concerned Scientists (Cars, trucks, and air pollution, 2014) particulate matter is made up of fine particles soot and metal that can pose serious threats to human health when deep in the lungs. Other pollutants emitted from vehicles are: nitrogen oxide which lowers the body’s defense system against respiratory infections such as pneumonia, carbon monoxide which blocks oxygen from reaching vital organs, sulfur dioxide which is emitted by both power plants and vehicles affect children and asthmatics, and hazardous air pollutants (toxics) which are chemicals that are linked to cancer, birth defects and other illnesses (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014).

As of 2009, studies conducted by the CDC have shown that asthma impacts approximately one in every twelve people, and the numbers only continue to grow (CDC, 2011). Some of the most common symptoms can range anywhere from coughing (especially at night or during exercise), wheezing and chest tightness, to shortness of breath. Asthma is often a chronic condition and while many times it can present itself as being mild, it can also sometimes lead to death if a person suffers an asthma attack. Asthma can be genetic, but it can also be caused, as well as exacerbated by, environmental factors such as air pollution. Studies have shown that children living in the Bronx are experiencing asthma at levels eight times higher than the national average. In addition, rates of death from asthma are a whopping three times higher than the national average, and hospitalization rates at about five times higher.” (Ruppell, 2000). Asthma is not a disease that targets only one group of people, yet the Bronx still exhibits disproportionately high levels of asthma especially in neighborhoods that are poorer areas of the city. In fact, people from these poor areas are 21 times more likely to be hospitalized due to asthmatic conditions compared to people from more affluent parts of the city (Ruppell,

Louis. When living in a hard up income area there is always a tightly packed space between older automobiles, busses, and trucks. This destroyed the ozone, which would bring about cardiovascular problems such as asthma attacks. In the article Gammon states that "In Southern California communities , exposure through air pollution and traffic emissions stunts children's lung growth ,according to USC research " This hints that if a child happens to live nearby or is nearby a polluted area he or she is unprotected and is exposed to having

Khazan first begins the article by sharing with the readers her childhood experience growing up in the industrial city of Los Angeles. She reported that nine percent of the asthma cases at her school were due to the intensity of traffic fumes produced by the five-hundred trucks per hour passing her elementary school campus. She continues on to say that air pollution is not just a contributor to asthma, but to many other medical issues. Although these statistics are not directly correlated to affecting a child's intelligence, it can be assumed that constant inhalation of toxic fumes can not be good for brain development.

Did you know many upper respiratory diseases such as asthma and others diseases like cataracts and skin cancer are aggravated by air pollution. The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) states that “the following air pollutants are common triggers of asthma, ground level ozone, sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.” Air pollution is the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.

According to scientific studies, climate change could be a responsible factor behind the formation of more ozone smog, and increased production of allergenic pollen (Drought Increases Air Pollution… (n.d.) The health of many people is susceptible to irritation of respiratory system from coming in contact with this polluted air from smog, pollen pollution, and wildfire smoke (NRDC: Climate Change Threatens ....... (n.d.). Anybody can be affected by breathing ozone, but certain age group and disease condition make them more vulnerable. Outdoor workers and even people exercising outside, vulnerable age groups such as children, teens, and older individuals, people with existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, are more prone to outdoor ozone ”(Ozone Pollution - American Lung…n.d.). Health risk could range from mild "shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing; asthma attacks;"certain individuals might be prone to lung infections; their lungs could be inflamed (Ozone Pollution - American Lung…n.d.). People diagnosed with asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease might face more infections and in need of more care (Ozone Pollution - American Lung…n.d.). According to Natural Resources Defense Council, an approximated "881,500 kids and 2,294,800 adults" are asthma victim per year (Climate Change Threatens Health....n.d.).

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, most of my childhood I felt very healthy. However around the age of 10 my pediatrician diagnosed me with Athletic Asthma. It is a specific type of Asthma that only occurs when engaging in strenuous activity or having an increased breathing rate. In 2009 I decided to move to Fresno, while I knew other people in the bay area who suffered from Asthma it shocked me to learn how prevalent it was in central California, particularly in Fresno. Quite often people in Fresno will make reference how terrible the air is in a given day. Residents of the central valley are constantly reminded about our air quality with programs such as Check Before You Burn, a local government solution to help control the

The social-ecological model is helpful in determining the array of independent variables that contribute to a disease with multiple contributors, like asthma. Lamb et al. (2011) addresses the issue of air pollution, in the San Francisco Bay area region, that contributes to the burden of asthma, in the community. The organization RAMP collaborated with DDDC to reduce particulate matter emitted by diesel trucks. The collaboration has lead to regulation that requires diesel vehicles to have particulate filters. While RAMPS focus was to relieve asthma sufferers, this regulation was beneficial to the community and environment as a whole.

The video speaks to public health starting with the prevalence of asthma in children—a chronic disease due to city pollution. Treating asthma is at one end of the public health continuum;

The Clean Air Act (CAA) has impacted every single person’s health in the United States—luckily for the good. Without the CAA, companies would have no restrictions on what they could or could not release into the air. If companies continued to do pollute the air without any concern, then there would be major impact on people’s health nationwide. For children, the risks of air pollution are much greater than adults. Children tend to spend more time outside which exposes them to more air pollution. Children also tend to breathe through their mouths, which allows air toxins to go directly to the lungs. If young children are exposed to major air pollution, they are prone to have undeveloped lungs and

The main purpose of this article was for the authors to run an experiment to find out if there is any correlation between children who are admitted to the hospital for asthma exacerbations and where they live in proximity to major roadways. By doing this, they found that there appears to be a positive relationship between asthma occurrences and traffic exposures. This could be a more serious problem in heavily populated cities that have a lot of people living in a small area combined with busy roads. For a health care provider and others who work with a multicultural population, it is important to be aware of this link and other possible factors that could potentially cause asthma. By being aware of this study, nurses can potentially identify and treat patients that have symptoms of asthma much quicker.

There has been a decline in the quality of air we breathe in over time, and this can be blamed on the rapid industrialization and urbanization of cities. Rapid urbanization and industrialization has lead to the use of more sophisticated machines such as vehicles, which produce gases, which are majorly responsible for the gradual change in climate. Asthmatic flare ups can be as a result of ‘the exposure to tobacco smoke, vehicular emissions, ozone, plant pollens, mold spores, skin cells and hair from common mammalian pets, waste of dust mites and cockroaches, and cold air’ (Adkinson et al., 2007). Although asthma is said to be more common in urban areas, cases of asthma in rural areas are becoming more common as a result of rapid industrialization. The article states that in coming years, respiratory health is expected to grow even worse “because of interaction between heavier pollen loads and increased air pollution” (Shea, Truckner, Weber, & Peden, 2008, p.

While many may be aware that air pollution is bad for our environment and detrimental to our health as a human species, they may not be aware of how it affects them and the environment in which they reside. Personally, air pollution affects me in terms of my overall long-term health. When I was younger, I was diagnosed with asthma. I struggled to take breath, especially in an environment that is filled with air pollution. However, as I grew older, my condition began to improve because of maintaining stellar air quality in my surroundings, in addition to making prudent health decision. I’ve been advised by medical professionals that living in an environment with increasing bad air pollution will trigger symptoms that can reignite this