Air Pollution

Air Pollution

External air pollution is a major environmental health problem affecting everyone in low, medium and high income countries.

Environment (outdoor) air pollution was estimated in both cities and rural areas that in 2016 every year there can be a death of around 4.2 million people worldwide; This mortality is due to exposure to small particles in diameter 2.5 microns or less (PM _2.5), which causes heart and respiratory disease and cancer.

People living in lower and middle-income countries experience the burden of external air pollution with 91% (4.2 million premature deaths) in low and middle-income countries, and the biggest burden in South-East Asia. Western Pacific Area The latest weight estimates show that air pollution plays a very important role in heart disease and death. More and more, evidence showing relationships between ambient air pollution and the risk of cardiovascular disease are available, including studies of highly polluted areas.

It is estimated that in 2016, some 58% of the deaths related to outdoor air pollution were caused by ischemic heart disease and stroke, while 18% of deaths were due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Acute Lower Respiratory Infection, and 6% of the deaths respectively Occurred. Due to lung cancer

Some deaths can be attributed to more than one risk factor at the same time. For example, smoking and ambient air pollution both affect lung cancer. Some lung cancer deaths could be prevented by improving the quality of ambient air, or by reducing tobacco smoking.

An assessment of 2013 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was concluded that external air pollution is carcinogenic for humans, with the particulate matter components of air pollution, the most increased incidence of cancer incidence, especially lung cancer Is connected to. A relationship has also been observed between outer air pollution and increase in urinary tract / bladder cancer.

Addressing all risk factors for non-communicable diseases - including air pollution - is important to protect public health.

Most of the sources of external air pollution are beyond the control of individuals and demand concrete action by locals, national and regional level policy makers working in sectors like transport, energy, waste management, urban planning and agriculture.

There are many examples of successful policies in transport, urban planning, power generation and industry, which reduce air pollution:

• For the industry: Clean techniques that reduce industrial smoke emissions; Better management of urban and agricultural waste, including capturing methane gas emanating from waste sites, which is in the form of reservoir (for use in the form of biogas);
• For energy: To ensure access to affordable, clean domestic energy solutions for cooking, heating and lighting;
• For transportation: Transfer to clean mode of power generation; Rapid urban transit, walking and cycling networks, as well as railroad intermediate goods and passenger travel in cities; Transfer of heavy diesel vehicles and low-emission vehicles and fuel to clean fuel including condensate sulfur material;
• For urban planning: improving the energy efficiency of buildings and making cities more green and compact and thus making energy efficient;
• For power generation: Use of low emission fuels and renewable combustion-free power sources (like solar, wind or hydro power); Co-generation of heat and electricity; And distributed energy production (such as mini-grid and roofing solar energy production);
• For municipal and agricultural waste management: Strategies for waste reduction, waste separation, recycling and reuse or waste re-processing; For the production of biogas, such as organic wastewater management, anabolic wastewater, there are possible, low cost alternatives for better openings of solid waste along with better methods of digestion. Where incubation is indispensable, hard-emission control combustion techniques are important.

In addition to external air pollution, indoor smoke from domestic air pollutants is a serious health risk for some 3 billion people who cook and warm their homes with biomass fuel and coal. Due to domestic air pollution in 2016, deaths were more than 3.8 million years ago. Almost all the burden was in lower-income countries. Domestic air pollution is a major source of external air pollution in both urban and rural areas.

The 2005 Air Quality Guidelines provide global guidance for major air pollutants that remove health-related risks. Guidelines show that by reducing Particulate Mater (PM₁₀) pollution by 70 to 20 μg per cubic meter (μg/m), we can reduce air pollution by about 15%.

Guidelines apply worldwide and are based on specialist evaluation of current scientific evidence:

• Particulate Matter (PM)
• Ozone (O₃)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)
• Sulfur dioxide (SO₂).

Please note that the air quality guideline is subject to amendment in the year 2020 with the expected publication date.

Particulate Matter (PM)

Definition and major sources

PM is the proxy indicator for air pollution. It affects more people than any other pollutant. The prime components of PM are sulfate, nitrate, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust and water. It contains a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air and organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. While particles of 10 microns or less diameter (≤PM₁₀) can go deep into the lungs and roam, particles damaging more health than 2.5 microns or less (≤PM_2.5) diameter PM2.5 can penetrate the blood system by dividing the lung barrier, lung cancer is also contribute to the risk of the development of cardiac and respiratory diseases in constant contact with the particles.

Air quality measurement is usually reported in the form of air volume (M³) per cubic meter in terms of daily or annual average concentration of PM 10 particles. Regular air quality measurements typically describe such a PM concentration in terms of microgram per cubic meter (μg/m³). When sufficiently sensitive measurement equipment is available, concentrations of fine particles (PM _2.5 or smaller) are also reported.

Health Effects

There is a close, quantitative relationship between exposure to high concentrations of small particulate (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and mortality or morbidity, both daily and with time. On the contrary, when the concentration of small and fine particles decreases, related mortality will also decrease - assuming that other factors remain the same. This allows policy makers to present the health reforms of the population, which can be expected if air pollution is reduced.

Small particle pollution has an impact on very low concentrations on health - there is no such limit as there is no harm to health. Therefore, the goal of the Guidelines of 2005 is to achieve the minimum concentration of PM.

Definition and major sources

Ozone at ground level - to not be confused with the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere - one of the main components of photochemical. This vehicle and industry is formed by reaction with sunlight (photochemical reaction) of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide (NO_x) from volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted by vehicles, solvents and industry. As a result, there is the highest level of ozone pollution in the sunny weather.

Ozone (O₃)

Guideline value

O₃
100 μg/m³ means 8-hours

Recommended limits in the air quality guidelines of 2005, in the previous versions of "Air Quality Guidelines" based on recent deciding mortality and low ozone concentrations, lower than previous levels of 120 mg/m³.

Health Effects

Excessive ozone in the air can have an effect on human health. It can cause breathing difficulties, trigger asthma, reduce lung function and cause lung diseases.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)

Guideline value

NO₂
40 μg / m³ yearly mean
Meaning of 200 μg / m³ 1-hour

The current guideline price of 40 gg / m³ (annual mean) was determined to save the public from the gaseous health effects.

Definition and major sources

As air pollutant, NO₂ has many correlated activities. In the short term, concentrations greater than 200 μg / m³, it is a toxic gas which causes significant inflammation of the airway.

NO2 is the main source of nitrate aerosol, which makes an important part of PM_2.5;in the presence of ozone's ultraviolet light. The major sources of NO₂'s human-generated emissions are combustion processes (heating, electricity generation and engines in vehicles and ships).

Health Effects

Epidemiological studies have shown that symptoms of bronchitis in children of asthma are in long-term contact with NO₂. In the cities of Europe and North America, the low lung development is currently linked to the NO₂ in the measured (or observed) concentration.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)

Guideline value
SO₂
20 μg/m³

means 24-hours
500 μg/m³ means 10 min

The SO₂ concentration of 500/g/m³ should not be more than the average period of 10 minutes. Studies indicate that after the exposure of people with asthma experience to exposure to SO₂, there is minimal change in lung function and respiratory symptoms for 10 minutes. The health effects are now associated with the lower level of SO₂ which was previously considered. A large degree of protection is required. Although the effectiveness of the effects of low concentrations of SO₂ is still uncertain, reducing SO₂ concentration is likely to reduce the exposure to co-pollutants.

Definition and major sources

SO₂ is a sharp odorless colorless gas. It is produced by the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) and the smelting of sulfur-containing mineral ores. The main anthropogenic source of SO₂ is burning of sulfur fossil fuels for domestic heating, electricity generation and motor vehicles.

Health Effects

SO₂ can affect the respiratory system and lung function, and cause irritation in the eyes. Swelling of the respiratory tract causes cough, mucus secretion, increased asthma and chronic bronchitis and makes people more prone to respiratory tract infections. Entry into hospital for heart disease and mortality increases in days with more SO₂ levels. When SO₂ joins the water, it creates sulfuric acid; It is the main component of acid rain which is a cause of deforestation.

Facts

• Air pollution is a huge environmental risk for health. By reducing the level of air pollution, the country can reduce the burden of both chronic and acute diseases, including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and asthma.
• The lower the level of air pollution, the better the population of cardiovascular and respiratory health, both long and short term.
• Air Quality Guidelines: Global Update 2005 provides threshold assessments for the health effects of air pollution and the level of health-harmful pollution.
• In 2016, 91% of the world's population was living in places where the level of air quality guidelines was not completed.
• Environment (external air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was estimated in 2016 in the world about 4.2 million deaths.
• Some 91% of those premature deaths occurred in lower and middle income countries, and the largest number of South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions.
• Policies and investments that support cleaner transport, energy efficient homes, power generation, industry and better municipal waste management will reduce the major sources of external air pollution.
• In addition to external air pollution, indoor smoke is a serious health risk for some 3 billion people who cook and warm their homes from biomass, kerosene fuel and coal.