Environmental pollution

Economic growth and globalization have brought many benefits, but at the same time new health risks have appeared, among others.

It has been estimated that in industrialized countries 20% of the total incidence of disease can be attributed to environmental factors. Indoor and outdoor air pollution in Europe is responsible for a large number of deaths and disability adjusted life years in children.

This external and internal air pollution is associated with respiratory diseases, asthma and allergies. In Europe, approximately 10% of the child population suffers from asthma or allergies. In Spain, it is estimated that 50% of the population will be allergic in 2050, which indicates a great growth in this type of pathology.

Indoor tobacco smoke increases the risk of cancer between 20 and 30% in non-smokers, being the cause of 2.500-3.000 deaths per year in our country.

The impacts of climate change on our health are being seen by the increase in morbidity and mortality due to heat waves, the increase in the incidence of diseases due to the increase in pollution.

Pollution and its relationship with health

A pollutant is any substance in the air that can, in sufficiently high concentrations, harm living things or materials.

On average, an adult breathes more than 15 m3 of air per day. Airborne pollutants are often invisible, but there are many short- and long-term effects that air pollution can have on health. The most harmful particles to health are those 10 microns in diameter or less, which can penetrate and lodge deep within the lungs.

The effects that environmental pollution will have on health will depend on the type and mixture of pollutants, their concentration in the air, the time a person is exposed to them, the amount breathed, and how much it penetrates the lungs. .

It is estimated that about 1.3 million people die each year in the world due to urban air pollution, mainly in developing countries. Residents in cities with high levels of pollution suffer more from heart disease, respiratory problems and lung cancer than those who live in urban areas where the air is cleaner.

According to the WHO, 80% of premature deaths related to outdoor pollution are due to ischemic heart disease and stroke, while 14% are due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or acute lower respiratory tract infection, and 6% to lung cancer. lung.

But not only outdoor pollution is the cause of these health problems, indoor smoke is also a great risk. In 2012, some 4.3 million premature deaths in the world were due to air pollution in homes from cooking and heating with biomass and coal fuels, especially in less developed countries.

Exposure to high levels of pollution will cause irritation of the respiratory tract, dyspnea, and an increased likelihood of an asthma attack. If this exposure is maintained over time for prolonged periods, the possibility of pulmonary pathologies appearing would increase.

In people with chronic respiratory diseases, environmental pollution is especially harmful, giving rise to aggravating episodes of the baseline clinical situation. The same occurs in the elderly, children and fetuses whose respiratory system is more sensitive or is in full development. But healthy people who engage in physical activity outdoors in times of high concentrations of pollutants are also vulnerable to their harmful effects.

Each contaminant has a certain form of avoidance, but as a general rule, contamination alerts should be checked daily. In winter, you should avoid walking on streets where there is a lot of smoke caused by traffic, while in summer you should not do outdoor activities on warmer and sunnier days, since pollution levels will be higher.