The link between air
pollution and respiratory diseases is well known, but foul air may be causing
cases of depression too. Scientists are increasingly seeing links between air
pollution and the mind.
Studies have found that
suicides and attempted suicides increase as levels of air pollution rise. This
is because of the inflammatory effects of air pollution on body and mind. Even
masks and may not be very effective in addressing the scale of the problem, and
the strategy should be to bring down air pollution in cities. Masks work only
when they are fixed professionally. It also depends on the kind of mask being
used. N 95 (a type of mask) may be effective if it's worn properly without any
gaps.
Prolonged exposure to high
levels of pollutants can cause lung cancer and heart disease, but short-term
exposure, for instance at traffic junctions, can trigger stroke or chronic asthma. Air pollution is affecting or leading to
almost all the major conditions. It can be responsible for developing heart
disease and triggering a heart attack, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung
cancer. We are also seeing a very strong link between infections and air
pollution. It is more difficult for our bodies to fight infection. Ear
infections are very common, especially among young children; they start as
respiratory infection and move to the ears.
They are even seeing links
between air pollution and diabetes, premature births and anxiety. These are all
part of inflammation caused by air pollution. There are studies showing that
when air pollution peaks, the incidence of suicide rises. The problem is,
pollution particles are not living things like bacteria that can be killed. He
added that pollution particles may be carriers of proteins that trigger
allergies.
