It also appears that inhaling particles can disrupt the body's ability to regulate the pumping of blood. When particle counts rise, a critical indicator called "heart rate variability" can decrease – and this upsets the heart's beat-to-beat variations. It is estimated that approximately 64,000 people in the U.S. die prematurely every year, from heart and lung disease due to particulate air pollution.
Unfortunately, air pollution is a broad and complicated topic. There are thousands of chemicals and chemical compounds which contaminate the air we breathe. Some are familiar gases like benzene, carbon monoxide, radon, and ozone.

Air pollution has a number of varied effects on human health, and can create many health problems. Each and every contaminant poses its own particular set of problems. And the person affects the situation as well: their age, their health, and the type and amount of exposure. It's a complex equation, but effects include itchy eyes and nose, headaches, raspy throat, fatigue, wheezing, long-term acute changes in lung function, respiratory illnesses, impairment of the immune system, or a shortened life expectancy.

The facts are clear – the cleaner the air, the healthier it is for people to breath.

PARTICULATE MATTER
What is particulate matter? This term describes a wide variety of contaminants which pollute the air, posing a variety of significant risks to human health. Included in this term are both solid particles and liquid droplets, when floating in the air. Created by many sources, available in many sizes, but the greatest amount of matter is simply generated by man-made sources.

Some particles are large and dark. You've seen them – in the form of haze, soot, and smoke. But other particles are so tiny, they can only be seen using an electron microscope. These tiny particles are distinguished by size. The most dangerous of these particles are measured in microns, and they are between 2 and 10 microns wide.

Particles smaller than 2.5 microns are called "fine particles". "Coarse" particles are particles that measure between 2.5 and 10 microns. These particles come from many sources: windblown dust, vehicles traveling on paved and unpaved roads, manufacturing operations which involve crushing and grinding. These are by-product particulates; some particles are emitted directly from a source, such as a smokestack or engine. Or in some instances, gases like sulfur oxide (SO), sulfur dioxide (S02), nitrogen oxide (N0x), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) interact with other compounds in the air, forming fine particles. The compositions of these particles—chemical and physical—depend on location, time of year, and weather conditions, varying from case to case. In large part, fine particles are produced by the combustion of fossil fuels like oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, coal and wood. Cars, trucks, airplanes, fireplaces, wood stoves, and industrial processes like metal smelting, steel production and coal burning are all major sources of particulate matter.

Whether fine or coarse, particles can collect in the respiratory system, causing adverse health effects when they do. Negative health effects have been seen resulting from short exposures such as a day or so, and longer exposures like a year or more. When people with existing heart or lung conditions are exposed to particulate matter, they are placed at a greater risk of admission to hospitals or emergency room, or premature death. So, the ill, seniors, and children are at the greatest health risk.
A study by Joel Schwartz of the Harvard School of Public Health documented the fact that for every increase in particulate air pollution, there is also a measurable increase in chronic respiratory illness, as well as an increase in mortality. One clear example of this phenomenon is pneumonia related deaths. Pneumonia is a disease of the lower lung where fine particles come to rest. During periods of increased particulate pollution, pneumonia related deaths increase. Recent studies reveal that fine particles (PM2.5) can travel deeper into the lungs, past our primary respiratory defense mechanisms lodging in the alveoli the small air sacs in the farthest reaches of the lung.

Another correlation that has been revealed by recent studies is a relationship between heart attacks and periods of high particulate air pollution. The smallest fine particles cause inflammation and blood clotting, and may even contribute to heart attacks by blocking the flow of blood through the heart. More recent studies have begun to show that these particles may also create electrical reactions that affect the central nervous system, which in turn may also contribute to the problem.

OZONE

Ozone – good up high, bad nearby
Ozone is a very reactive form of oxygen, containing 3 atoms of oxygen rather than the 2 atoms we typically breathe. Ozone is found both high in the stratosphere and low in the troposphere. There's a simple rule to remember about ozone – good up high, bad nearby. Stratospheric ozone helps protect the earth from biologically damaging, ultra violet radiation. You may have heard this called "good" ozone. Ground level ozone is a known lung irritant, which is why it is sometimes called "bad" ozone.

Ground level ozone is a secondary pollutant. It is not emitted directly into the atmosphere, but it is created when primary pollutants react or interact. Ozone is created by a photochemical reaction involving elements known as "ozone precursors". Hydrocarbons, a type of volatile organic compound, and oxides of nitrogen, chemically react in the sunlight to form ozone. Warm temperatures encourage this reaction, so the warmest times of year are typically when you will find the highest levels of ozone. Motorized vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, incomplete combustion, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of these ozone precursors.

Ground level ozone is a major concern for health and the environment. Ozone is a primary ingredient of smog, which covers many urban areas over the summer. Even rural areas can experience increased ozone, because the wind can carry ozone and pollutants miles away from their original sources. This causes air pollution to spread over a large area.

Ozone is extremely unstable. It reacts rapidly and intensely with living tissues, plant-derived fabrics, dyes, rubber, and many synthetic materials. Ozone oxidizes and destroys organic matter. That is why it is dangerous to inhale ozone: when ozone is inhaled, it can react with the lung tissue, creating acute inflammation or damage to the lungs. Ozone also injures the bronchioles, the smaller airways and the tiny air sacs which send oxygen into the blood stream. Inhaling ozone can weaken the immune system, making people more susceptible to respiratory illness like bronchitis or pneumonia.

Some people are more susceptible to ozone pollution in general. People with existing lung conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema are more susceptible. So are children, the elderly, and people who exercise outdoors a lot. Ozone can exacerbate symptoms for asthmatics and allergy sufferers. One study showed a 28% increase in emergency room visits for asthma when ozone levels reached even moderate levels. If you have asthma, you will be more susceptible to an asthma attack when the ozone levels are high.

Frequent exposure to ozone pollution may cause permanent damage to the lungs. Even inhaling low levels of ozone can cause a number of health problems – chest pains, coughing, nausea, throat irritation, congestion and shortness of breath.
 

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