Air pollution isn’t a new concept, but it’s becoming increasingly a concern worldwide. Millions of people have to deal with it regularly, and it can negatively impact their health and well-being.
It’s impossible to avoid bad air quality all the time, but there are several things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from unhealthy air quality, both indoors and outdoors.
Health Impacts of Air Pollution
There are a lot of different air pollutants, and they can all negatively impact your health. Air pollution is a combination of gases and particulate matter. It can be smog hanging in the air, wildfire smoke, vehicle exhaust, and smoke from any other source. The most common air pollutants we deal with are:
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10)
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- Ozone (O3)
Knowing all the specifics about the above types of pollutants isn’t as important as understanding what health impacts they can have on you. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls air pollution “the invisible health threat” because even though we know it exists, we often don’t see the impacts of it until later in life.
Anyone can be subjected to health problems from poor air quality, but it is especially harmful to the elderly, children, and those with preexisting health conditions. Some of the most common health issues we see with poor air quality are:
Respiratory Issues: Exposure to pollution can cause coughing, a runny nose, and difficulty breathing. In some populations, it can cause asthma attacks, respiratory infections, lung disease, and COPD.
Cancer: Lung cancer is the primary type of cancer we can associate with air pollution. It’s more common in those with long-term exposure.
Cardiovascular Disease: Certain pollutants, like PM2.5, are known to affect the bloodstream. This can lead to heart attacks, heart rhythm irregularities, and strokes.
Weakened Immune System: Poor air quality can weaken your immune system, which leaves you vulnerable to other diseases and conditions.
Protecting Yourself Outdoors From Poor Air Quality
We can’t stop the world from producing outdoor air pollution, but there are precautions we can take to protect ourselves.
Monitoring Air Quality
One of the best ways to protect yourself from bad outdoor air quality is to monitor the air quality index (AQI). An AQI is a forecast that measures air quality. An AQI uses air quality elements that measure different aspects of the atmosphere’s chemistry to determine the air quality score.
Many weather apps nowadays have this feature to make it easier for people to see the rating in their location. However, certain websites and apps offer more in-depth looks at air quality.
These indexes can show you how safe or unsafe it is to be outside, with a scale running from 0 to 300+. In general, the higher the number, the worse the air quality.
Reducing Exposure During High Pollution Levels
Many things can contribute to unhealthy levels of pollution. From wildfire smoke to high-traffic areas and major cities, there’s a risk in many places. If you’ve checked the AQI for your area and it reports dangerous levels, you’ll want to do your best to stay indoors.
Usually, these indexes will let you know if the levels are too high for anyone or just sensitive groups. Regardless, avoiding going outside during these times will decrease your risk of health problems related to poor outdoor air quality.
If you have to walk to work or go outside to get to your transportation to work, that’s unavoidable, so you’ll want to take extra precautions, like wearing a mask. Make sure you limit how long you’re outside, avoid exercising outdoors, and keep windows and doors closed to prevent the bad air from getting inside your home.
Wearing Protective Masks
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that those living in highly polluted areas or on a day when pollution is dangerously high wear masks. There are many protective masks, N95 and KN95 being some of the most effective. The EPA also states that while these are beneficial, you must take other precautions to protect yourself.
These are particularly helpful during wildfires so you don’t breathe in excessive smoke particles. They’re still beneficial outside of dealing with wildfire smoke. You can use these when the air quality index is very high to avoid breathing in fine particles if you have to be outside for any reason.
Protecting Yourself Indoors From Air Pollution
We tend to believe we have clean air inside our homes and offices, but that’s not always true. While it’s harder for the air quality to be worse inside than outside, harmful substances can still be present inside, leading to health problems.
Keeping Indoor Air Clean
Doing what you can to have good air quality inside is one of the best ways to avoid pollution-related health problems. Some tips to protect your lung health and keep indoor air clean are:
- Using an air purifier
- Ensure you have proper ventilation by letting fresh air in when air quality is good.
- Cleaning your home regularly to remove allergens and dust
- For air purifiers, it’s best to use a HEPA filter. These filters are shown to capture up to 99.7% of all airborne particles. This includes pet dander, dust, pollen, and other allergens.
Reducing Indoor Sources of Pollution
There are ways that you or others in your household are contributing to bad indoor air quality. A few ways to reduce indoor pollution are:
- Don’t smoke inside
- Don’t use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or use products with low VOCs
- Limit how often you use your fireplace or gas stove
- VOCs are found in many household cleaning products, so being vigilant about what products you purchase can help improve indoor air quality. If you use products with VOCs, you’ll want to make sure you let plenty of fresh air inside and use air purifiers. However, be sure to monitor air quality reports before opening your windows.
Taking additional precautions is important since children, the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions are at a higher risk for health problems associated with poor air quality.
When air quality forecasts show harmful levels, children should be limited to outdoor activities. If being outside ultimately isn’t avoidable, limiting it and ensuring they stay hydrated will help reduce the risks.
The elderly and people with preexisting conditions are naturally at a higher risk. The best things they can do to reduce risks for lung disease and more are:
- Seek medical attention ASAP if symptoms start
- Having a plan when it’s a high-pollution day
- Follow your doctor’s recommendations
Stay Informed About Air Quality
Many people don’t think about air quality, but it’s vital to our health. While you can’t prevent all air pollution, you can do plenty of things to keep yourself safe and reduce the risk of adverse health impacts.
Regularly checking the AQI allows you to plan when pollution levels are high. As long as you monitor air quality and do your part to reduce your indoor and outdoor air pollution, you’ll be able to take better care of yourself and your loved ones.