What is air pollution?
What are the causes of air pollution?
- Industry (coal-fired power plants)
- Transportation (automobiles, aviation, and shipping)
- Agriculture (chemical fertilizers and pesticides)
- Private households (cooking, heating, and lighting).
Air pollution - the biggest environmental risk worldwide?
Air pollution is considered the world’s greatest environmental risk to public health. People are exposed to air pollution everywhere: at work, while traveling, and even at home. Often, pollutants are formed secondarily, that is, as a result of chemical reactions. These are even more harmful than their parent substances. Ozone, for example, is toxic in higher concentrations and irritates the respiratory tract. Fine dust particles can even cause cancer. Because of their small size, they are known to enter the bloodstream through the alveoli. This is how they reach our body cells, where they can trigger uncontrolled reactions. Coarse pollutant particles such as smoke or soot, on the other hand, settle in the lungs. Sustained exposure to such pollutants can lead to black discoloration, tissue damage, and ultimately lung cancer. The most common health consequences of air pollution include:
- Respiratory diseases, such as asthma and permanent airway obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Cancers, such as lung cancer
How do I know how high the air pollution is in my area?
Many cities use a monitoring network to continuously measure air pollution levels. These regularly report an air quality index (AQI) to warn of dangerous air pollution levels. BreezoMeter’s air quality alerts make it easy to keep up to date with real-time information about pollution levels and changing air quality values. Check your air quality here.
Is air pollution a solvable problem?
What measures can be taken in everyday life?
- Reduce driving This is probably the most obvious of all measures since internal combustion engines in our cars are constantly blowing nitrogen oxide into the air. Therefore, we should switch as much as possible to more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as the train or a bicycle.
- Control energy consumption The less energy you use at home, the lesser energy power plants have to generate. Turn off appliances when you’re not using them and get energy-efficient LED light bulbs.
- Use clean, green energy Conventional power generation pollutes our air and warms our planet. We must use electricity generated from renewable sources as much as possible.