pollution effects on health
DESCRIPTION
shafaque saira malik 's presentation on effects of pollution on health in the international training on effects of climate change and AQMTRANSCRIPT
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