HEALTH EFFECTS OF POLLUTION

Presented by:

Shafaque Saira Malik

Lecturer ,Deptt of CS & IT

University of Balochistan

HEALTH EFFECTS OF POLLUTION

HISTORY• December 4th 1952, → fog; • Smog lasted for 5 days & led

to 4000 more deaths than usual.

• The deaths were attributed to the increase in air pollution during the period, with 7 fold ↑ in SO2, and 3-fold ↑ in smoke than before

• The peak in the number of deaths coincided with the peak in both smoke and SO2 pollution levels.

Figure 1 SO2 & SMOKE LEVELS BY

DEATH RATE

HEALTH EFFECTS: LONDON SMOG 1952

RESPIRATORY EFFECTS• Large number of deaths occurred due to influenza• Exacerbation in Asthma, Bronchitis, Tuberculosis • Short term decrease in breathing ability • Increase in chest pains • Inflammation of the lungs and damage to respiratory cells • Permanent lung damage & reduced life quality due to

ozone. • Increased number of asthma attacks due to nitrogen

dioxide.

CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS• Heart failure • A lack of oxygen in the bloodstream in those with heart

disease due to carbon monoxide.

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION IN GENERAL

– The air we breathe 26000 times per day contains nitrogen, oxygen, CO2, water, argon, other trace gases, and a volume of 14,000 liters

– Vegetation is effected when absorbed through pores, soil, and water

– Wildlife and animals can get affected – Deposition on water bodies affecting its quality, and

organisms in water– Severity and symptoms experienced depend on the

pollutant, its concentration in air, length of exposure and individual sensitivity

– Organic nature of particulate matter (PM) could vary

HEALTH EFFECTS IN GENERAL • Healthy individuals may not notice effects from

air pollution, except when the pollution is very high.

• Individuals who have asthma, heart conditions or

lung diseases, may experience distress and other health effects, even at lower levels of

pollution.

Annual Deaths

Air Pollution 23,000

Drunk Driving 17,000

Murder 20,000

Who is at Risk?

Children Elderly Prior heart or lung disease patients Diabetics Persons who work/exercise outdoors Otherwise healthy adults and children

4 Main Pollutants

OzoneParticulates,

especially PM 2.5

Air-borne toxicsMercury

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION NATURAL

• Gases and ash from volcanoes, windborne dust, grit and pollen

• Human body is designed to cope with some of natural pollutants

• Air passages produce mucus to trap particles from dust and grit from nose to lower bronchioles; mechanism of sneezing and cough are further extremes

MAN MADE

• Traffic

• Factories

• Power stations

• Airplanes

• Domestic coal, wood, biomass, rice husk

etc

Blood• Altered rheology

• Increased coagulability

• Translocated particles• Peripheral thrombosis

• Reduced oxygen saturationSystemic Inflammation

Oxidative Stress• Increased CRP

• Proinflammatory mediators• Leukocyte & platelet activation

PM Inhalation

Brain

• Increased cerebrovascular

ischemia

Heart

• Altered cardiacautonomic function

• Increased dysrhythmic susceptibility

• Altered cardiac repolarization

•Increased myocardialischemia

Vasculature• Atherosclerosis,

accelerated progression of and destabilization of plaques• Endothelial dysfunction

• Vasoconstriction and Hypertension

Lungs• Inflammation

• Oxidative stress• Accelerated progression

and exacerbation of COPD• Increased respiratory

symptoms• Effected pulmonary reflexes

• Reduced lung function

There are multiple mechanistic pathways have complex interactions and interdependencies

Figure 2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) • HB binds with CO to form carboxy-hemoglobin (COHB)

• Prevents O2 transport to tissues → hypoxia

• Binding affinity of CO to HB is 250 times > O2

• Brain, heart, & muscles are sensitive to hypoxia;– 80% of COHB levels lead to death – 60% to loss of consciousness– 40% to confusion and collapse upon exercise– 30% to headache, fatigue, and impaired judgment– 5-20% to ↓ visual perception, manual dexterity, learning, complex tasks – 2.9-4.5%--decreased exercise capacity in healthy men

• Importance for those vulnerable to cardiac conditions (e.g. angina)

• Other nervous system effects are disturbances in hand eye coordination

• Reported to cause Low Birth Weight

Ozone

• Volatile organic compounds (VOC) react with sunlight to form NO2; a by-product of high temperature & automobile combustion

• organic chemicals like gasoline; vaporize easily

SHORT TERM EFFECTS • Breathing difficulty during outdoor activities • Shortness of breath • Headaches • Nausea • Throat and lung irritation

LONG-TERM EFFECTS • Premature aging of the lungs • Decreased lung function • Worsened symptoms of asthma, emphysema, and other lung diseases • Inflammation and damage of the lining of the lungs

Ozone: Other Effectsallergy symptoms

respiratory infections ear infections

emphysema attacks overall death rates

Sulphur dioxide • Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is a water soluble, colorless, gas

with a sharp odor; that reacts with airborne solid particles

• Irritates the eyes and air passages.

• The most common source is burning of fossil & fuel, combustion, smelting, manufacture of sulphuric acid, conversion of wood pulp to paper, incineration of refuse and production of elemental sulphur.

• Coal burning accounts for about 50% of annual global emissions, with oil burning accounting for a further 25-30%.

• The natural source is volcanoes.

TYPE SOURCES HEALTH EFFECTS

NO2 Vehicles

Domestic

airway irritation; respiratory infection & impaired lung function

PM Traffic, industry

Biomass

Respiratory, Cardiovascular

Long-term effects? IMR, LBW?

CO Traffic, fuel, industry COHB, Headaches, nausea, dizziness

SO2 Coal & heavy oil combustion

Breathing difficulties, irritation of eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Asthmatics

Lead Petrol, paints

industry

Intellectual development, poisoning

Benzene/ Butadiene

Petrol, deisel

Rubber tyre

Cancer (long term effect)

Ozone Photochemical

pollutantShort term respiratory symptoms; irritant effect on lungs & airway inflammation

Table 1

TYPES OF POLLUTANTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS

“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

Particulate Physiology

Penetrate deeply into lungs to alveoli

Irritate lung linings-more asthma

Stimulate immune system inflammatory proteins

Diesel Exhaust Permanently Changes Immune Response

More Asthmatic and Allergic responsesPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)

are the culpritsDiesel and vehicle exhaust and coal

smoke

Nel, A.E., et al., J of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2001

Air Pollution and Next-Day Heart Attacks

Short term exposure to particulates (PM2.5) 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

Traffic Emissions and Death

Near-road group had:

Almost double the death rate from heart and lung disease

1.4 times higher overall death rate

Hoek, G., et al. “Association between Mortality and Indicators of Traffic-related Air Pollution in the Netherlands: A Cohort Study”

Lancet 360 (2002) 1203

References www.lungusa.org (Annotated Bibliography of Recent Studies…) www.lungnc.org www.healtheffects.org (Understanding the Health Effects of Components

of the Particulate Matter Mix: Progress and Next Steps) www.epa.gov/airnow www.nga.org www.landofsky.org/airquality www.cleartheair.org www.airtrust.org www.saminet.orgAIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH AIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH MEDICAL EVIDENCE by Clay Ballantine,

M.D.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION by Dr. Amna Rehana Siddiqui MD PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences Aga Khan University .

Final Points

• Health and economic issue• Prioritize 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

Human Chain can combat pollution

Thank You