3 Surprising Effects Air Pollution Has on Your Body

The air pollution crisis is ongoing, and with more than 92% of the world’s population living in areas that exceed the levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO), the issue is a global one. 

While it’s common knowledge that poor air quality is damaging for both humans and the environment (and often the cause of potentially fatal conditions such as lung disease, heart disease and strokes), the same culprit is sometimes responsible for other, lesser-known health and behavioural problems.

Here, we reveal the unexpected medical issues that can occur as a result of polluted air.

Bad behaviour

Is your teen acting up more than usual? Do you live in an urban area that’s known for poor air quality? It’s entirely possible that the young adults in your house are showing bad behaviour as a result of worsening air quality. No, really.

A study featured in The Times found that unhealthy air causes bad behaviour in children and teens. Researchers have reported that young people residing in areas of poorer air quality would start to show signs of bad behaviour upon reaching adolescence. 

Irregular periods

Recent findings have indicated that air pollution can wreak havoc with female hormones, and thus cause irregular menstrual cycles – in teenage girls aged 14 to 18 especially. A new study has indicated that teen girls exposed to contaminated air will have a higher chance of menstrual irregularity, and will likely have a long wait to achieve a more stable cycle.

Author of the study, Shruthi Mahalingaiah, explained the research in more details in a story published by Science Daily. “While air pollution exposures have been linked to cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, this study suggests there may be other systems, such as the reproductive endocrine system, that are affected as well,” she revealed.

Poor mental health

The impact of air pollution on the human body is also evident when it comes to mental health. A recent study carried out in Hong Kong had some shocking findings – poor air doesn’t just make those with mental health issues worse, but actually increases their risk of mortality.

Having analysed 10 years’ worth of data, researchers noted a strong link between smog and mortality in a story featured in The Guardian. The risk of death rose by 16% on the first day of haze, and on the 27% on the second day in comparison with normal days. In addition to this, on days when ozone pollution was present alongside the smog, the risk of death shot up by a staggering 79%.

Image courtesy of Daria Nepriakhina, Unsplash

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5 Causes of Air Pollution You Probably Didn’t Know About

Many people assume that air pollution is only associated with car fumes and industrial power plants, but the reality is quite different. In fact, polluted air can be caused by an array of factors – and a lot of them are found in and around our homes. Everyday activities such as cooking and cleaning can cause the number of pollutants in our kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms to rise dramatically – and unfortunately, many people don’t realise the impact they are having on their indoor environment.

Here, we outline five causes of air pollution that might surprise you.

Cooking

The next time you’re preparing a meal or heating something up on the stove, make sure you open a window and ventilate your kitchen – especially if you’re frying something. A study conducted at Texas State and Utah State universities found that water, when combined with hot oil, creates minuscule droplets of fat that are thrown into the air and are small enough to be inhaled. However, anything that involves combustion could potentially to your health and the quality of air in your home.

Cleaning

Need an excuse to avoid your chores for another week? You’re in luck. There’s a vast number of cleaning products found in homes all over the world that could have a negative impact on your health. Sure, there’s a list of scary-sounding chemicals and symbols on the packaging of many of them, but there’s more to it than that. A lot of manufacturers don’t publish the full list of chemicals used inside their product, because they simply don’t have to. According to the Huffington Post, non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) studied more than 2,000 different household cleaning products and the results were worrying. A lot of the tested items were found to contain chemicals linked to asthma, allergies and even cancer.

Heating

If you own a wood-burning stove, you’ll know how warm and cosy they can make your indoor environment come winter. However, they’re not as family friendly as you’d think. According to King’s College London, domestic wood burning is responsible for a huge amount of London’s fine particle pollution – between a quarter and a third, to be more precise. Additional studies had even more concerning results. The Guardian reported on a stove switching programme that took place between 2005 and 2007, where old, polluting wood-burning stoves were replaced with newer alternatives. The study found that after the replacement, there were fewer cases of children suffering from respiratory issues.

Vaping

While many claim that e-cigarettes and vapes are a safer alternative to smoking, scientists beg to differ. A story published by The Telegraph touched on research carried out by professionals at the University of California, in which human cells were subjected to smoke particles of e-cigarettes. The results? Not great. The cells used in the experiment were damaged and died soon after contact with the chemicals.

Braking

It might seem obvious that driving at higher speeds isn’t exactly healthy for the environment, but did you know that braking causes pollution too? While low-emission zones are becoming more prominent, both speeding up and slowing down are detrimental to the environment. Ralph Bagge, the leader of South Bucks District Council, commented on the topic when speaking with The Independent. “Smooth driving reduces emissions and stop-start acceleration and deceleration braking is harmful,” he explained. “It is putting out more through the tailpipe, but secondly braking is also grinding bits of very fine particulate matter which goes into the atmosphere,” he concluded.

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Can Exposure to Pollution During Pregnancy Can Cause Asthma?

A study has concluded that exposure to environmental pollution while pregnant can have a serious impact on unborn babies - for up to three generations.

Researchers used rodents to conduct the investigation, which saw pregnant mice exposed to diesel exhaust particles and urban air particle concentrate. Having compared the lungs of the first, second and third generations of baby mice with other offspring that were not exposed to the particles, the researchers were able to determine an abnormality in the mice born to the mothers exposed to the pollutants.

The team discovered that the pollution caused the babies’ DNA to alter by way of abnormal changes in the immune cells known as dendritic cells – cells that play a major part when it comes to asthma developing in children and infants.

The increase of the dendritic cells was clearer in the first and second generation mice, implying that the risk lessens as generations become more and more removed.

Sources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170718113512.htm

Image courtesy of Mickael Tournier

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