The Health Consequences of Air Pollution on Populations

You will be at a higher risk of a lot of health problems if you are exposed to a high level of air pollution. For example, it may increase your risk for respiratory infections, lung cancer, and heart disease. As a matter of fact, even short-term exposure to harmful particles is associated with a lot of health risks. Apart from this, it may also result in premature aging or mortality. In this article, we are going to get a deeper insight into the health consequences of pollution. Read on to find out more.

What can you do to Protect Yourself?

It is our responsibility to reduce air pollution. With collective efforts, we can achieve our goals. Apart from this, the government should also play its role to make sure the air doesn’t get filled up with these harmful particles. For example, given below is a list of steps that can be taken to achieve this goal:

National governments: The government should set national standards to reduce emissions, according to the guidelines given by the World Health Organisation. For example, the government should spend on Research and Education to ensure more people know about the importance of clean air.

Local communities: Apart from this, local communities across cities should also try to spread awareness to reduce the pollutants in the air.

Individuals: Common people should stand up for their rights and encourage governments to take proper actions to reduce emissions.

All of us: We should all be accountable. We must think and rethink the importance of sustainable choices.

What is Particulate Matter, or PM?

The term particulate matter refers to the harmful particles in the air, which may include liquid droplets, smoke, soot, dirt, and dust, to name a few. Apart from this, large concentrations of particle matter come out of common sources like coal-fired power plants and diesel vehicles, just to name a few.

Apart from this, health risks are even higher when the air is full of smaller particles. The reason is that these particles get into your lungs and increase your risk for a lot of respiratory health problems. For example, particles with a size of fewer than 2.5 microns are known as fine particles.

Major Sources or Causes of Air Pollution

Some of the primary sources of air pollution include vehicles, household cooking, eating, coal-based fire power plants, and the burning of agricultural waste.

Government Interventions

We can make some interventions to bring down the air pollution level. For example, we can make collective efforts to go for electric cars instead of the regular fuel-based ones. Apart from this, we can make sure that everyone uses renewable energy sources. Apart from this, industries should also go for methods that help reduce emissions.

Long story short, this was a description of some of the most common consequences of long-term exposure to pollution. You may want to make sure that you are taking the right steps to clean your indoor air. You can also use an air cleaner for this purpose. You can install these units in your home to purify your indoor air.

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