5 Ways Air Pollution Harms Your Body
Air pollution isn’t just a concern of the distant future or far away lands. It’s a problem that affects everyone across the globe. Even if you have seemingly clear skies, air pollution can still damage your health through local traffic, ozone levels and other invisible toxins.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 92% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed the limits of what’s considered safe.
And to make matters worse, even low levels of pollution can impact your health. Here are some of the worst ways air pollution can harm your body.
1. Health Risks for the Lungs
When people think of how air pollution affects your health, this is usually one of the first things that comes to mind. Air pollution has been found to increase the incidence of wheezing and respiratory infections. It also can significantly worsen asthma.
But the long-term effects are much worse (1). Studies have found that long-term exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of:
- Respiratory inflammation
- Developing asthma
- Pneumonia
- Chronic bronchitis
2. Air Pollution Damages Your Heart
Just a short-term exposure to air pollution can affect your blood pressure, heart rate variability, and even how your blood clots (2).
And as you may expect, things get worse as the exposure time increases. Studies suggest that air pollution can activate proinflammatory pathways and generate reactive oxygen species.
In other words, the toxic particles found in air pollution—especially really small particulate matter (PM 2.5) like that from car exhaust—triggers harmful inflammation, which is a risk factor for heart attacks (3).
3. Toxins in Air Pollution Increase Cancer Risk
Air pollution is made up mostly of particulate matter (soot) and ozone. Both of these in turn contain a toxic brew of chemical solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals (4).
Because of these toxins, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified outdoor air pollution as a cancer-causing agent (5).
Specifically, the IARC “concluded that there is sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer.” The IARC also found a link between air pollution and increased risk of bladder cancer.
It’s believed that the toxins in air pollution trigger free radicals in the body, which can cause DNA damage, which in turn can lead to cancer.
4. Air Pollution Harms Reproductive Health
Perhaps one of the lesser known effects of pollution is the reproductive harm it can cause. If you plan on having children one day, pollution should be taken into serious consideration.
Research shows that environmental pollution is having an effect on fertility for both men and women, lowering the chance of pregnancy by up to 29% (6). And animal research also suggests that ozone in air pollution can reduce women’s fertility (7).
Air pollution can also harm the baby during pregnancy. Studies have found that long-term exposure to air pollution can significantly increase the chances of preterm births which can result in serious health risks for the baby (8).
5. Health Risks for the Brain
Numerous studies show that higher levels of air pollution are linked to increased risks of cognitive impairment (9), higher rates of depression and anxiety, as well as higher rates of neuro-developmental issues in children (10).
Studies in the late 2000s and early 2010s on the brains of children from Mexico City raised alarms about the effects of air pollution and brain health. Researchers showed that children who lived in highly polluted urban areas had much higher levels of neuro-inflammation, placing them at greater risk of cognitive issues (11).
In the United States, studies of neuroimaging data from thousands of young people suggest that air pollution disrupts brain development. These studies report that increased exposure to air pollution seems to alter communication between brain regions (12). Scientists believe many of these harmful effects stem from how toxins in air pollution trigger inflammation in the brain.
How Can I Protect Myself from Pollution?
Though the impacts of air pollution may seem beyond our control, there is some good news: you can help your body fight against the effects of toxic pollution.
- Reduce exposure to toxins with simple lifestyle changes.
- Eat healthy foods known to support detoxification.
- Help your body remove built-up toxins with natural mineral zeolite.
- Invest in an air purifier for your home.
- Check your weather app and avoid outdoor activities if the air quality is poor.
Air pollution is a significant threat to your health—whether you live in an urban or rural area. Since it’s next-to-impossible to completely avoid air pollution, it’s a smart move to detoxify regularly to help reduce toxin build-up. With a simple detox protocol in hand, you can help your body reduce the effects of air pollution and support your long-term health.
