Air pollution not only damages lungs and heart disease, but may increase mortality by 31%! 6 actions to protect against PM2.5
healthorn expert Q&A
Q: Air pollution causes a 31% increase in mortality. Does it turn out that there are carcinogens in the air?
A: There are many threats to the air in your home. In addition to smoking and burning incense, the easily overlooked “carcinogen formaldehyde” is the main source of indoor air pollution. The boards, sofas, mattresses, and curtains used for decoration will emit a large amount of formaldehyde, further causing the indoor formaldehyde to exceed the standard. Especially for women, children and people prone to allergies, if they live in a space with excessive formaldehyde for a long time, it will increase the frequency of allergies and skin inflammation, and may lead to female infertility, childhood leukemia, cancer and other symptoms.
To solve the problem of formaldehyde poisoning, it is recommended to seek formal formaldehyde removal companies to carry out indoor formaldehyde removal projects. Long-term formaldehyde removal projects usually take more than 3 days to recycle formaldehyde deep inside furniture and decorations using standard construction methods. And it is effectively decomposed to ensure that the formaldehyde concentration in the space is lower than the safe value for a long time. When selecting a manufacturer, special attention should be paid to choosing a manufacturer with a long-term warranty to ensure healthy and non-toxic indoor air quality for a long time and reduce the risk of cancer.
Air pollution not only damages the lungs but also increases cardiovascular risk
Recently, air pollution in various places has reached the “Purple Explosion” alarm level. The human body is breathing every minute. The impact of air pollution on human health may be more comprehensive and far-reaching than what can be seen with the naked eye. Research in the “New England Journal of Medicine” pointed out that the concentration and composition of air pollution mostly change with time and location, and are greatly affected by weather. Pollutants in the air include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone pollutants. , and semi-volatile benzene substances.
Air pollution is the fourth leading cause of disease and death in the world, with 91% of the population living in areas that exceed air pollution standards set by the WHO. According to the Global Burden of Disease, air pollution caused more than 6.7 million deaths in 2019 alone, with 4.1 million deaths related to outdoor pollution and 2.3 million related to indoor air pollution. Since the 1990s, deaths from air pollution have increased by 51%.
These air pollutants can be deposited in the lungs and lymph nodes around the lungs, increasing the chance of many respiratory diseases, including bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and lung cancer. In addition, air pollution can also increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and even mortality from COVID-19 infection.
Excessive exposure to PM2.5 increases ischemic heart disease by 31%
The study in “Pollution and the Heart” shows that short-term changes in the concentration of PM2.5 particles in air pollution (within hours to days) are positively correlated with the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular death. PM2 For every 10 μg/mm concentration of .5, the risk of cardiovascular events increases by 0.1-1.0%.
In addition, there are also prospective study results showing that there is a significant causal relationship between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and increased mortality from ischemic heart disease. A 10 µg/mm increase in average annual PM2.5 exposure increases the risk of mortality from ischemic heart disease by 16%-31%. An integrated analysis of data from 35 studies also found that every 10 μg/mm increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with increased heart failure hospitalization and mortality.
The interaction between PM2.5 and cardiovascular disease is significantly related to various health factors, the most obvious of which are hypertension and diabetes. When the concentration of PM2.5 in the body increases, it will cause changes in vascular tone and increase blood pressure. In addition, long-term PM2.5 exposure will also increase the risks of carotid intima-media thickness, coronary artery vasculation, atherosclerotic plaque, left ventricular hypertrophy, and chronic kidney disease.
“Pollution and the Heart” pointed out that based on global statistics, air pollution leads to an increase of 3.2 million cases of diabetes and 196,792 deaths from diabetes every year.
If you have cardiovascular risk factors, pay attention to air indicators and take 2 actions to protect yourself
Harvard Medical School recommends that if you have heart disease or are at risk for cardiovascular disease, you should pay attention to local air pollution values when the air pollution is severe. If the air quality is too bad, you should stay indoors as much as possible, and it is best to wear protective clothing when going out. Face mask. Use indoor air purification facilities in a timely manner, and pay attention to regular replacement and cleaning of filters.
The Taiwan Health Promotion Administration recommends that when the air quality is poor, in addition to wearing a mask when going out, you should wash your hands, face, and clean your nasal cavity when entering indoors from outdoors, and reduce the time for outdoor activities. Outdoor activities should be avoided during peak traffic hours.
source:
The heart-related hazards of air pollution
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