The document discusses the detrimental effects of pollution on health, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular issues, and waterborne illnesses due to contaminated sources. It highlights the vulnerability of certain populations and emphasizes the long-term consequences of exposure to pollutants. The text advocates for preventive measures and collective action to reduce pollution and improve environmental sustainability.

1. How Pollution Affects Your Health

2. How Pollution Affects Your Health
We are already far ahead in the environmental damage done through the uncontrolled
exploitation of fossil fuels, excessive pollution, and massive deforestation for urbanization.
Nature has already started taking its toll on human life through many dimensions. The entire
climatic calendar has changed. Seasons are getting extended, and extreme weather
conditions are changing drastically. India experiences drought in some areas while heavy
floods in others. Earthquakes, landslides, heavy cloud bursts, lightning, and tornadoes are the
uncontrolled calamities that have frequently occurred in the past few decades. Recent
occurrences of Tsunamis were an enormous natural calamity.

3. Air pollution is the most significant cause of many health hazards.
Respiratory diseases like breathing difficulties, asthma, bronchitis,
prolonged cough, unseasonal cough, throat irritation, rise in
sinusitis, damage the cells in the respiratory system, and many
more.
Lung damage with disorders leads to lung cancers, lung failure, and
infections.
The basic symptoms noticed are wheezing, chest pain, dryness in
the throat, loss of appetite, hair loss, irritation, tiredness, nausea,
and fatigue.
Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Added stress
to the heart and lungs causes more effort to pump more oxygen.

4. Long term exposure to pollution can lead to permanent damages:
● Rapid wear or ageing of lung cells.
● A steady decrease in lung function with loss of lung capacity.
● Development of diseases such as Asthma, Bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly cancer.
● Shortened life span.
The most susceptible to the severe health problems of pollution are:
● Patients with heart disease, congestive heart failure, and coronary heart disease.
● Patients with lung diseases like asthma, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD)
● Pregnant ladies.
● Outdoor construction, road, bridges, or mine workers.
● Elderly people beyond 60 years of age.
● Athletes who exercise heavily outdoors.
● Children below 14 years of age tend to have lower immunity.

5. Particulate Matter
These are minute particles of dust, smoke, metals, sulphates, nitrates, carbon, ash, rubber molecules, etc., that
increase the density of pollution in the form of a smog or road level cloud smoke. A couple of years ago, our capita
New Delhi, was shut down due to dangerous pollution levels in the air. Schools remained shut for more than two
months. The size of the particles is the determining factor. The PM two-point-five or smaller particulate matter
poses the greatest problems as they bypass our natural defense system to enter our lungs and bloodstreams to the
heart. Long-term exposure can affect both the lungs and our heart.
Extended exposure to the particulate matter from polluted air can cause significant health issues:
● Early death in patients with lung disease and heart disease.
● Particulate matter is connected to the cause of lung cancer.
● Unpredictable heartbeats.
● Mild heart attacks.
● Cause of chronic lung disease and chronic lung disease.
● Respiratory illnesses, infections, and disorders.
● Decreased lung movements and activities in expansion and contraction.

6. Water pollution
Water scarcity and reduced groundwater levels are the rising concerns of our country.
People in certain parts of the country have to travel long distances to fetch water.
Water quality is another major concern. The government water treatment and filtration
initiatives are too inadequate for the population’s requirements, resulting in water pollution
and causing many health conditions and issues.
Drinking unhealthy water leads to numerous illnesses like Cholera, Typhoid, Diarrhea,
Dysentery, and various skin infections.
Contaminated water hosts many germs, bacteria, microbes, fungi, and worms. The
parasites enter the human body through contaminated water and infect numerous
harmful diseases. Certain worms remain in the human body for a long time, consuming
the host’s food and stunting the growth at a young age.

7. Corrective actions and Precautions
As it is rightly said that ‘prevention is better than cure,’ we as responsible citizens should take all
the possible steps to control and reduce the pollution in all the sources, including air pollution
and water pollution.
All the possible sources of pollution should be identified and curbed immediately. Reporting the
locations of heavy contamination to the government health department—using face masks to be
preferred while travelling. Carrying your personal water bottles on your journey are some of the
primary measures to curb water pollution.
Our collective efforts can definitely bring about the change and improve our country, our
environment, and our surrounding ecosystem steadily. The very present and future depend upon
it. Let us come together and take a pledge on this environment day to contribute our lion’s share
in this mission of achieving sustainability in our lifestyle as soon as possible.

8. Thank You
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