Bad air is one of the biggest threats to your health. Here’s how to protect yourself

There is something invisible It could put us in an early grave. And I’m not talking about conscious AI, but something more widespread and real. While AI pessimists predict the existential threat that AI poses to humanity, air pollution — specifically, ultrafine particles, PM 2.5-He has been an effective killer for decades. Many people don’t realize that there is a wealth of scientific evidence linking cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and brain damage to the growing list of grim health consequences of bad air.

According to Global Health OrganizationAir pollution caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019. Also Trump EPA As standards continue to decline and industries that cause air pollution are deregulated, the burden of maintaining a safe breathing environment increasingly falls on individuals. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take.

Turn back the clock

PM2.5, which is produced by forest fires, automobile exhaust, power plants and industries such as mining, enters the body through the nose and mouth through the simple process of breathing. Once PM 2.5 enters the body, it can enter the bloodstream and brain. The impact of air pollution on public health and life expectancy is nothing new. In 1970, 22 years after the fatal accident Donora smog event Which killed 20 people and infected more than 6,000 people in Western Pennsylvania Clean Air Act It became federal law.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration canceled The Biden administration’s new standards for air pollutants from taconite iron ore processing exempt private sectors from compliance, saying: “Maintain and enhance domestic taconite processing capabilities… ensuring the resiliency of America’s industrial supply chains.”

Taconite iron ore processing creates Large amount of PM2.5. The Trump White House also rescinded recent emissions standards for Electric steam powered by coal and oilalong with many other industries. As America’s commitment to reducing air pollution declines, there are devices and actions you can take to keep the air you breathe healthier, both indoors and outdoors.

It can cause heart disease

Courtesy of Kwai

When people think about high blood pressure, air pollution may not be what they imagine. Often times, stress, smoking, poor diet, or genetics may come to mind, but air pollution, PM 2.5, can cause and/or contribute to high blood pressure. “In general, air pollution can affect cardiovascular risk factors, blood sugar/diabetes, and blood pressure/hypertension,” says Jonathan Newman, MD, a cardiologist at New York University and an expert on the relationship between the environment and cardiovascular disease.

Invisible PM2.5 reaches the deepest part of the lungs, enters the tiny air sacs in the lung, where it passes through the barrier to enter the bloodstream. There, they can accumulate in the form of plaques on the walls of the arteries, which is known as atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease. According to Newman, “This generally occurs through direct effects of inflammation, neurohormonal effects, and direct particle effects.” The reaction of PM2.5 causes an imbalance with free radicals and antioxidants that puts stress on the body, causing inflammation and infections. Oxidative stress Which leads to cell damage.

In other words, PM2.5 particles can wreak havoc at the molecular level. The World Health Organization recommends that average annual concentrations should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic meter, with daily levels less than 20 micrograms per cubic meter. It’s hard to live by these guidelines. A He studies It found that “more than 90 percent of the world’s population lives at PM 2.5 levels above WHO standards.” The cheapest and easiest protection is to use a well-made N95 device Face mask. I carry an N95 mask with me At all times, because I cannot predict whether a good air day will turn into a bad air night. The practice of carrying a mask ready to use is one way to control the air you breathe.

Photo: Lisa Wood Shapiro

3M

N95 particulate respirator

Diabetes can develop

Newman was one of the co-authors of Study last year “Exposure to air pollution is implicated in the onset and progression of diabetes. Increased exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) air pollution is associated with increased blood glucose and all forms of diabetes,” she found. The results are not new. In studies dating back to 1967, researchers found a link between high levels of PM 2.5 in ambient air (outdoor air) and increased deaths from diabetes. While there are other factors that contribute to diabetes, such as obesity and genetics, there is a link between inflammation caused by PM2.5 and diabetes.

It can hinder brain development

While respiratory disease has long been studied as a negative consequence of air pollution, more recently it has been studied studies It has also been shown to affect the nervous system and brain development, and PM 2.5 is linked to stroke, changes in cognitive function, dementia, and psychiatric disorders. In particular, these micro- and ultrafine particles have a significant impact, as they can be absorbed into the bloodstream to reach the central nervous system.

How does this happen? One possible and terrifying way is through Olfactory nerveIt is the shortest nerve in your body, and it is what enables us to smell. It travels from your brain to the upper inner part of your nose. To understand how something as small as PM 2.5 can cause inflammation, 2022 He studies “PM 2.5 can pass through the lung-blood gas barrier, the ‘gut-microbiota’ axis, and the brain to cause systemic oxidative stress and inflammation, or directly enter brain tissue,” he reiterated. via Olfactory nerve.” PM 2.5 accumulates and leads to oxidative stress (free radicals and antioxidants have an imbalance), where it can “cause systemic inflammation and brain tissue damage.”