Air pollution has now become a familiar health hazard, causing acute and chronic effects on individuals’ respiratory health. The air quality is deteriorating, and the WHO report that the entire global population (99%) is breathing air that surpasses the WHO guideline limits and contains pollutants in high levels. 

Airborne pollutants that are known to cause harm to the respiratory system include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and ozone. These pollutants can cause multiple respiratory problems like asthma, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, etc. 

Awareness about pollution's damaging effect on your respiratory health and tips to protect it have become paramount to survive in this polluted world. Read on to learn how air pollution affects your respiratory system, common symptoms, and tips to tackle air pollution to preserve your respiratory health. 

How Does Air Pollution Pose a Threat to Your Respiratory Health?

The effects of air pollution on human health can be adverse. Respiratory and lung diseases are the most common ailments a human experiences when exposed to outdoor and indoor pollutants for a long time. Outdoor pollutants consist of vehicular exhaust, cigarette smoking, emissions and odours from garbage dumps, factories, sewers, and construction activities. Conversely, indoor pollution can be caused by poor ventilation or kitchen fumes.

So, how exactly does air pollution affect your respiratory health?

Air pollution's impact on respiratory health can range from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory, lung, or heart disease like respiratory infections or lung cancer. Pollutants that are found to have adverse effects on your respiratory health include nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulphur dioxide. These pollutants can accumulate in different parts of your respiratory tract, cause irritation or infection, and other respiratory symptoms and changes in your lung function.

Knowing the Symptoms of Air Pollution Exposure Associated with Respiratory Problems

All types of air pollution, regardless of lower or higher pollutant concentrations, can affect the airways and cause similar respiratory ailments. The most common signs of respiratory problems due to air pollution usually entail nose and throat symptoms. 

Short-Term Respiratory-Related Effects of Air Pollution

You can initially experience the following  minor symptoms due to the impact of air pollution on your respiratory health:

• Irritation in the nose, eyes, throat, or skin
• Non-allergic rhinitis
• Nasal mucosal erythema
• Nasal itching
• Runny nose
• Sinusitis
• Nasal congestion
• Sneezing
• Dyspnoea
• Dry cough or dry mouth and throat
• Sore throat
• Wheezing
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Bronchoconstriction

Long-Term Respiratory-Related Effects of Air Pollution

You can experience the following long-term effects of air pollution on your respiratory health:

• Lung inflammation
• Asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Pneumonia 
• Weak immune systems
• Heart disease
• Lung cancer
• Birth defects
• Low reproductive rates
• Emphysema
• Chronic bronchitis
• Damage to vital organs such as brain, nerves, liver, and kidneys

Tips to Tackle Air Pollution to Maintain Your Respiratory Health

Air pollution is a serious concern as it can worsen your respiratory and overall health. Although the government and many environmental organisations are putting their best foot forward to improve the air quality, the collective effort of people can also make a huge difference. 

The following are some useful tips you can follow to deal with air pollution and preserve your respiratory health:

• Check the local air pollution forecasts regularly: Before stepping out, it can help to check the air pollution forecasts in your area regularly. By analysing the colour-coded forecasts, you can know when the air is unhealthy or harmful enough to cause respiratory issues. When air quality is severely poor, try to avoid going out.
• Invest in air purifiers: The best way to improve indoor air quality is to invest in a high-quality air purifier. Alternatively, you can keep indoor plants in your house as an affordable option. Doing any of these two things can increase fresh air circulation in your house.
• Keep your house dust-free: Another way to reduce indoor air pollution is to keep your house clean and dust-free. Make sure to dispose of your household garbage properly. Moreover, using environment-friendly paints and cleaning products is a good idea. 
• Use less energy in your house: Electrical or other energy sources can generate emissions, deteriorating the indoor air quality. By reducing energy usage or using eco-friendly energy sources, you can curb greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, improve indoor air quality. 
• Avoid exercising outdoors when air pollution is high: When air quality is bad, moving your workout sessions indoors is recommended. You can do a home workout or go to the nearby gym. Besides this, limit the amount of time your kid spends playing outdoors. Moreover, even if air quality is good, avoid working out near high-traffic areas, as vehicles on busy roads create high pollution levels locally. 
• Walk, bike, public transport, or carpool: Vehicular exhausts are the major pollutant contributing to outdoor air pollution. You can contribute to reducing air pollution by reducing the number of car trips and instead opting to walk, bike, carpool, or use public transport. 
• Use electric or hand-powered lawn care equipment: Rather than depending on gasoline-powered lawn care equipment, you should use electric or hand-powered equipment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Old two-stroke engines like leaf and snow blowers or lawnmowers are found to increase air pollution.
• Avoid burning wood or trash: Do not indulge in activities like burning wood or trash to get rid of them, as they release harmful fumes and emissions. 

Wrap it all up!

Air pollution has become a serious concern as it contributes significantly to multiple respiratory problems. By following the above-discussed air pollution tackling and prevention tips, you can help yourself and everyone breathe easier and, thus, avoid many respiratory ailments. 

However, despite taking all precautionary measures, if you still suffer from any respiratory disease, consider seeking immediate medical attention at Medanta Respiratory & Sleep Medicine department. Specialists here will lead the way for respiratory health by offering world-class respiratory medicine services.