Focus on health: What are the health effects of air pollution?

With reference to the stricter recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the guideline values of air pollutants, the EU Commission has now presented a proposal to update the EU Directive. The proposal not only significantly reduces the legal thresholds of individual air pollutants but also emphasises information to citizens and their enforceable right to clean air to breathe. The focus is on citizens and their health. This is reason enough to summarise the health effects of air pollutants.

In autumn 2021, the WHO noticeably lowered the recommendations on guideline values to consider the new scientific findings on health effects. (Read more here). But we need to remember that regarding human health, scientists emphasise:

There is no safe level of air pollution

Air pollution has been shown to cause lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, heart disease, and strokes. Medical research is providing increasing evidence of a tangible link between Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia and air pollution. During pregnancy, air pollution can cause premature births and low birth weight.

Below is a brief overview of the health effects of air pollutants. Risk groups are particularly affected by air pollution. These include people with lung diseases or increased cardiovascular risk, children, senior citizens, and people who are active outdoors.

In addition to these general effects, we have already described in a previous issue of this newsletter why children suffer particularly from air pollution.?

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

NO2 irritates and constricts the bronchial tubes, intensifies lung diseases, and increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases

People with a pre-existing condition (asthma):

Overall, air pollution is responsible for 12 to 30 percent of asthma emergencies. However, only a smaller percentage is due to nitrogen dioxide. Particulate matter and ground-level ozone are the main culprits here. Nevertheless, studies show that asthmatic children are probably more susceptible to NO2.

Particulate matter (PM)

Depending on their size, particles enter the nasal cavity, bronchial tubes or the bloodstream. They cause inflammation and damage tissue. Depending on the duration of exposure, fine dust can lead to high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, lung cancer, arteriosclerosis, dementia, and cardiovascular problems. Particulate matter can also irritate the skin, especially the skin of the elderly.

Particulate matter is not a homogeneous substance but varies both regionally and seasonally. Individual constituents can then be harmful to health on their own. For example, it is assumed that coronaviruses attach themselves to fine dust particles and travel with them.

People with a pre-existing condition (asthma):

The risk of developing asthma is higher the more polluted the air is with fine dust. This is especially true for children but also adults. High exposure to fine dust in the air we breathe can cause asthmatics to develop symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in addition to asthma. Fine dust is blamed for about 9% of all asthma emergencies.

Ground-level ozone O3

Ground-level ozone can cause damage to the lungs, intensification of asthma symptoms or other lung diseases, and irritate the respiratory tract.

People with a pre-existing condition (asthma):

Ozone triggers asthma because it is highly irritating to the lungs and airways. Ozone concentration is known to be directly related to asthma attacks. Ozone can impair lung function and make it difficult to breathe deeply. As with particulate matter, high ozone levels in the air we breathe can cause asthmatics to develop symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in addition to asthma.

Note on CO2: Everyone is currently talking about the CO2 footprint and the need to reduce CO2 emissions. However, this is primarily about climate effects. A concentration in the indoor air of less than 1000 ppm is considered harmless for humans. The actual concentration in the air we breathe is less than 420 ppm. Critical situations occur indoors and can usually be remedied by supplying fresh air (ventilation) from outside.

We will deal with the climate effects of CO2 and other climate pollutants in one of the upcoming issues. Stay tuned!