The document discusses the negative health impacts of air pollution. It notes that air pollution is a major risk factor for diseases like asthma, emphysema, lung cancer and heart attacks. Key pollutants discussed are ozone, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides which come primarily from traffic and power plants. Exposure to ozone and particulate matter is linked to increased asthma attacks, respiratory infections, and cardiac issues. Children and the elderly are most vulnerable to the health damage caused by air pollution. The document advocates for prioritizing improvements to air quality in decision making.

1. Air Pollution
V. S. S. Nair
Nov 24, 2010
Institution of Engineers

2. DRINK 2 liters of water
BREATHE 15,000 liters of air
More than 10 liters every minute!
In one day, we…

3. We can …
Live without food
for more than 10 days
Survive without water
for 3 days

4. NOT MORE THAN
3 MINUTES WITHOUT
AIR
BUT…

5. AIR
Supplies the Oxygen necessary for
all functions of the body including brain

6. AIR
reaches 100 sq. meters of surface
area of the lungs

7. Exercise & Breathing
 Exercise improves the body’s ability to deliver
oxygen
 It can increase the intake of air by as much as 10
times
 When we exercise in polluted air, we increase our
contact with pollutants; and increase our
vulnerability to health damage
Air pollution is a key risk
factor
for a number of diseases and

8. Air Pollution
Who is at risk?
 Children
 Elderly
 Prior heart or lung disease patients
 Diabetics
 Persons who work/exercise outdoors
 Otherwise healthy adults and children

9. Air Pollution
Health Problems
 Impaired fertility
 Birth defects
 Respiratory infections
 Asthma
 Emphysema
 Lung Cancer
 Heart attacks
 Strokes
 Premature death

10. Air Pollution
Pyramid of effects
Lung function changes, immune cell responses
Heart rate or heart rate variability responses
Asthma attacks, medication use,
symptoms
Doctor Visits
Hospital
Admissions
Death

11. Air Pollution
Main Pollutants
 Ozone
 Particulates, especially PM 2.5
 Air-borne toxics
 Mercury

12. Air Pollutants:
Ground level Ozone
Ultra-violet light
Volatile Organics
Nitrogen oxides

13. Air Pollutants:
Ground level Ozone
Nitrogen oxides
50%
From Traffic
50%
From Power plants
and Industry

14. Air Pollutants:
Ground level Ozone
Seasonal variation
Daily variation
Outdoors
Does not penetrate buildings

15. Air Pollutants:
Ground level Ozone
 Caustic Gas – clear, colourless, odourless
 Oxidises proteins, lipids in the mucosal fluid layer
 Highly irritating to lung linings
 Increases lung secretions, decreases
oxygenation
 Sets off airway bronchospasm
 Recruits inflammatory cells
 Increases responses to allergens
 Damages infection fighting responses
 Chronic lung damage/remodeling

16. Asthma Epidemic
50% in Children
100% in Adults

17. Ozone and Asthma attacks
Hundreds of published studies conducted
around the world all show the same results:
 More Ozone Pollution exposure leads to
more asthma attacks
 Dose = Response relationship

18. Airway Obstruction

19. Ozone reduces Lung
function
FEV1,%CHANGE
BASELINE 2HR 4HR
-60
-40
-20
0

20. Ozone causes Asthma
Exercising children exposed to Ozone:
A cohort study
Time Outdoors = Asthma
McConnell, et al. Lancet 2002: 359: 386-91

21. Ozone: Asthma effects
 More people with Asthma
 More asthma attacks
 More asthma medicine usage
 More doctor, Casualty and Urgent Care visits
 More children and elderly in hospitals
 More school absences
 More lost work days

22. Ozone: other effects
Allergy symptoms
Respiratory infections
Ear infections
Emphysema attacks
Overall death rates

23. Air pollutants: Particulates
Sulfates
Nitrates
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
(PAH)
Soot/ Carbon
Dust

24. Particulate Physiology
Penetrate deeply into lungs to alveoli
Irritate lung linings – more Asthma
Stimulate immune system inflammatory
proteins

25. Air pollutants: Particulates
Year round exposures
Penetrate buildings

26. Particulates: Cardiac
effects
Vascular inflammation
Blood clotting protein levels
Cardiac arrhythmias
Blood pressure
Heart rate variability
Alters Cardiac conduction

27. Particulates: Cardiac
effects
Vascular inflammation is more
important than cholesterol
in the development of
cardio-vascular disease

28. Air Pollution and
Next-day Heart attacks
Short-term exposure to particulates (PM
2.5) increases the incidence of heart
attacks for one day following exposure
As air pollution goes up, the risk of heart
attack goes up
Increased particulate air pollution and the triggering of Myocardial infarction
Peters et al.; Circulation, June 12, 2001, vol. 103

29. Air Pollution and
Stroke deaths
Fine Particulate matter and gaseous
pollutants are significant risk factors for
acute stroke death
Women and the elderly are most
susceptible to the effects of particulate
air pollutants
More air pollution
exposure
More acute
stroke deaths=
Effect of Air Pollutants on Acute Stroke Mortality. Hong et al.
Feb.,2002; Environmental health perspectives, v. 110. no.2

30. Effects on otherwise healthy
people
Asthma rates in adults
Pneumonia & respiratory infections
Lung cancer rates similar to
living with a smoker
Overall death rates
Faster decline in lung function with age

31. Effects on children –
A generation at risk
Multiple birth defects – heart, neural tube
Higher infant mortality
More asthma
Impaired lung development
Premature emphysema
Increased respiratory infections
Higher health care expenditures

32. Final thoughts
 Health and economic issue
 Prioritise air quality improvement in decision-
making
 Over half the problem is traffic
 Massive hidden health costs in transportation
and power pollution
 Imposed risk on all population groups,
especially our children and elderly