The answers to some questions are so obvious that the questions themselves do not seem worthwhile asking. You might call such questions 'trivial questions.' Asking about the importance of clean air seems to be such a question: Clean air is essential for being healthy, and everybody wants to be healthy! However, it makes sense to ask why it is important to breathe clean air, because the question can bring awareness to a problem that is not always right away apparent.
Air pollution is to a large extent invisible in our day to day life. Toner dust, car exhausts and dust mite allergens are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Furthermore, many of the negative health effects of air pollution are accumulative, so that our health deteriorates gradually - often unnoticed from one day to the next.
But the health effects of breathing polluted air day in and day out are severe. Countless studies from around the world have shown how air pollution affects everyone from an unborn child to the elderly. Health effects range from learning disabilities to cardiovascular diseases, worsening of allergies and asthma, as well as premature death. The American Environmental Protection Agency considers indoor air pollution one of the top 5 health threats today. The ultra fine particles and gas pollution that is produced indoors and outdoors are so small that they pass through our body's natural defences. Through our nose and lungs these toxins reach our blood stream and with that every part of our body.
So, why is clean air important? Raising the question is important because we are often not aware of the pollution that we and our families are exposed to and the consequences that they can have on our lives. To find our how you can protect yourself and your family from air pollution, please visit our air purifier information page.
Ref.:
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- Public Health Statement for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Environ Health Perspect. 2003 February; 111(2): 201-205.; Effects of transplacental exposure to environmental pollutants on birth outcomes in a multiethnic population; Frederica P Perera, Virginia Rauh, Wei-Yann Tsai, Patrick Kinney, David Camann, Dana Barr, Tom Bernert, Robin Garfinkel, Yi-Hsuan Tu, Diurka Diaz, Jessica Dietrich, and Robin M Whyatt
- Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Neurodevelopment in the First 3 Years of Life among Inner-City Children; Frederica P. Perera,1 Virginia Rauh,1 Robin M. Whyatt,1 Wei-Yann Tsai,1,2 Deliang Tang,1 Diurka Diaz,1 Lori Hoepner,1 Dana Barr,3 Yi-Hsuan Tu,1 David Camann,4 and Patrick Kinney1; www.cumc.columbia.edu
- The New England Journal of Medicine; Volume 329:1753-1759 December 9, 1993 Number 24; An Association between Air Pollution and Mortality in Six U.S. Cities; Douglas W. Dockery, C. Arden Pope, Xiping Xu.
- American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; 1995;151:669-674; John D. Spengler, James H. Ware, Martha E. Fay, Benjamin G. Ferris, and Frank E. Speizer, Pope CA III, Thun MJ, Namboordiri MM, Dockery DW, Evans JS, Speizer FE, Heath CW Jr; Particulate air pollution as a predictor of mortality in a prospective study of US adults.
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