Featured Article: Air Pollution

Air Pollution is thought to be the core cause of at least 4.5 million deaths each year. In the US, one study estimated that 4 out of 10 Americans are living with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Complications such as asthma, emphysema, and lung inflammation are among the long-term consequences of air quality dropping. Even short-term impacts like pneumonia and bronchitis claim lives and tax a person’s health. Though many of the more industrial sources of air pollution can be found in their highest concentrations in and around large cities, even the more simple sources used within a home can cause a significant reduction in air quality for those living within. Radon and mold are highly dangerous sources of indoor air pollution, but even wood smoke from a fireplace or a kerosene heater can cause health complications. It is no surprise that dirty air can cause health impacts similar to those suffered by smokers. It is interesting, then, that we are not seeing the same campaigns, proclaiming the dangers as they are impacting an even larger group of citizens than smoking ever has. To read more about this danger, check out this summary compiled by National Geographic, which outlines both the human health and environmental risks of air pollution.