To Your Health: Air Pollution

Nitrogen may help plants grow, but it can impair a person’s ability to breathe and may cause damage to the human respiratory tract. In this study, the nitrogen was thought to be coming predominantly from diesel traffic. The particle pollution in the study is so tiny 1/20th of a width of a human hair that it can travel past the body’s usual defenses. Instead of being carried out when a person exhales, it can get stuck in the lungs or go into the bloodstream.

Particle pollution can come from forest fires, wood stoves, power plants and coal fires. It can also come from traffic and construction sites. Some experts suggest that one way to reduce a teen’s risk of pollution-related health problems is to invest in portable air cleaners with HEPA filters that are highly effective at reducing indoor air pollution.

However, the filters can’t remove all of the problem, and experts say communitywide solutions through public policy are what’s needed. Pollution caused 1 in 6 deaths worldwide in 2019 alone

by Adam Berls

To Your Health: Air Pollution

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