Air Pollution Effects on Human Health

There are many chemical substances and particles that combine into air pollution for example, Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Carbon monoxide. All of them can cause effect on human body especially our respiratory system beacuse air pollution cause an impact on human lung more than other organs in the body. Each substance also has some different effect on the body depends on the element and its chemical property. These are the list of substances that contain in air pollution and their effects on human health.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a colorless gas with a pungent, suffocating odor. SO2 is corrosive to organic materials and it irritates the eyes, nose and lungs; therefore it is quite a dangerous air pollutant. Sulfur is contained within all fossil fuels, and is released in the form of sulfur dioxide during fossil fuel combustion in the car engine. It is the cause of lung cancer, acute and chronic

asthma, irritation of eyes, nose, throat, and also damage to lungs when inhaled.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a gas of reddish-brown color with a distinct sharp, biting odor. It is often analyzed in conjunction with another nitrogen gas nitric oxide (NO). Together these two gases are referred to as Nox. Combustion of fossil fuels always produces both NO2 and NO. Almost 90% of the NOX combustion product is in the form of NO which is then oxidized to NO2 in the air. NOx can destroy organic matter, ex. human tissue. Exposure to high concentrations of NOx can make living organisms more susceptible to bacterial infections and lung cancer. NO2 also Increased incidence of respiratory illness and airway resistance due to inflammation.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an extremely toxic gas which affects the ability of the body to receive oxygen. Hemoglobin which transports oxygen in the blood is bound by carbon monoxide, which leads to the shortage of oxygen in the body. Carbon monoxide is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries around the world. Unlike many other air pollutants, carbon monoxide does not directly affect eyes, nasal passages or lungs, but it cause toxicity of the central nervous system and heart, and can make people feel headaches, dizziness, nausea and unconsciousness. In cases of prolonged exposure to high CO

concentrations, unconsciousness, convulsions and death would occur to people in the campus.

Ozone (O3) is a poisonous gas with a sharp and cold odor. It can be found in the stratosphere where it occurs naturally and plays a beneficial role by protecting the Earth from ultraviolet sunlight; and in the troposphere where it occurs naturally and also forms part of the human-caused photochemical smog. It is the tropospheric ozone that we are interested as an important air pollutant. Because the photochemical smog requires a lot of sunshine form, it occurs mostly in sunny and heavily polluted places, such as Bangkok. Ozones main victim within the human body is its respiratory system. Once in the lungs, ozone burns through cell walls. The immune system fails to protect the lungs because ozone pushes the defensive cells back. Exposure to ozone over long periods of time leads to a stiffening of the lungs and a reduced ability to to in

breathe so, it can make people coughing, wheezing, throat irritation, and cancer.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are defined as organic compounds which easily evaporate and enter the atmosphere. Typical VOCs include propane, benzene, ethanol, methanol, ether, carbon tetrachloride and vinyl chloride; substances such as petrol and resins contain many individual VOCs, and many others are produced during combustion processes. VOCs are the cause of anemia, cancer - specifically leukemia, liver damage, and dysfunction of the central nervous system such as behavioral problem, memory loss, and disturbance of the circadian rhythm.

Airborne particles are tiny fragments of solid or liquid nature suspended in the air (which are called aerosols). Combustion of fossil fuels by road transport, power plants etc. is a major source of particulate air pollution. Example of Airborne particles are
dust and smoke. Dust particles are solid particles between 1 and 100 m

(micrometres) in diameter; fumes, or smoke, are solid particles less than 1 m in diameter. Experts believe that dust is the most damaging among all widely measured air pollutants. Smaller dust particles are more dangerous than larger

ones because they can penetrate deep into the lungs being deposited on areas where the bodys natural clearance mechanisms such as coughing cannot remove them. It can decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms such as irritation of the airways, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Airborne particles also the cause of premature death in people with heart or lung disease.

References
Irina Gray, Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com, November 2008,<http://www.tropicalrainforest-animals.com/air-pollution-effects.html> Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Counci, 19 January 2000,<http://ceroi.net/reports/johannesburg/csoe/html/nonjava/Pollution/Air/impact.htm> Health Canada, 16 may 2005, <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/air/outext/effe/health_effects-effets_sante-eng.php>