Shocking Facts About Air Pollution

1. The Air in Your Own Home is Likely the Worst
It’s not only the air outside; household air is often terrible. The World Health Organization even weighed in and released a report that highlighted the dangers of burning fuels like coal or kerosene. While this is a bigger issue in low- and middle-income countries, gas or kerosene. While airtight spaces only contribute to the problem, recent evidence suggests they not only affect your physical health, but also your mental state. Workers in windowless rooms had poorer sleep habits and lower overall qualities of life than their counterparts. It has effects as small as burning eyes and itchy throat to as large as breathing problems and death.

2. Air Pollution Makes You Look Old
Procter & Gamble recently released a report that polluted air can contain over 200 chemicals that age the skin. This becomes a big issue in larger cities with more pollutants; in fact, in a study of over 200 urban and rural women aged 30 to 45, pollution from city life added as much as 10 percent to perceived aging.

3. Air Pollution is Linked to Attention Problems
As more and more children are diagnosed with attention disorders, air pollution could be a factor. One study suggests that it is the mother’s exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—emitted by burning fossil fuels—that is the main issue; however, new evidence takes that idea even further. A new study looks at how unborn children exposed to high levels of pollutants in car exhaust are five times more likely to develop an attention disorder by age 9. Air pollution can leave its mark; kids with ADHD, for example, have a higher risk for poor academic performance, risky behaviors, and there’s even the possibility of decreased earnings in adulthood. There is even some evidence linking indoor air pollution with autism.

4. The Air at the Gym is Horrible
It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the gym has some pretty bad air quality. Could that smell, which you might’ve always associated with smelly gym socks, actually be an indicator of air quality? A research team in Portugal set out to answer that question by measuring the air quality of 11 gyms and found high levels of airborne dust, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide.

5. Burning Trash Causes Air Pollution
It’s no surprise that burning trash is a massive source of air pollution; in fact, a study estimates that more than 40 percent of the world’s garbage is burned, releasing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, particulate matter, and other toxins into the air.

6. Deadly Killer
Inhaling air pollution takes away at least 1-2 years of a typical human life.Air pollution in India is estimated to cause 527,700 deaths every year.Air pollution in California kills 25,000 people per year and costs $200 million worth of medical expenses.In China 300,000 die every year due heart disease and lung cancer cause by air pollution.Rising levels of air pollution in Beijing has brought a new disease – Beijing cough.It is estimated that 750,000 people die in china prematurely due to air pollution.The number of people who die in America every year due to air pollution is above 50,000.5,000 premature deaths in Southern California are caused due to pollution from diesel trucks.Air pollution is not a recent occurrence. In 1952, the Great Smog of London killed 8000 people.65% of the deaths in Asia and 25% deaths in India are due to air pollution.People in many cities wear masks continually to save themselves from air pollution.By 2050, 6 million people will die per year due to air pollution.

7. Other Hazardous of Air Pollution
According to the Lancet journal, air pollution caused by waiting in traffic increases the chances of death caused due to heart attack.80% of lung diseases are caused due to pollution from other cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles.During heavy traffic jam, pollutants outside can seep into your car, making the air inside you car 10 times more polluted than typical city air.People who live near high traffic roads face greater risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma and bronchitis as these places contain more concentrated levels of air pollution.Toxic air pollution poses a greater threat to children, due to their smaller physical size and lung capacity.Air pollution that causes smog affects dolphins and makes them suffer from black lung diseases. Similarly, Air Pollution affects all the animals, Plants, Trees, and the entire Eco System for that matter.