Over the years, several studies have been done to prove that increased air pollution is associated with a lot of health conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, just to name a few. In other words, both long-term and short-term exposure to air pollution is harmful to your health. Read on to find out more.
Recently, another study was published that described the effects of global pollution over the past 14 years. According to this study, the combustion of fossil fuel caused more than 9 million premature deaths across the world in 2018. Moreover, over 350,000 deaths happened in the United States alone. And the majority of these deaths happened because of strokes and heart disease.
You may be wondering who is more prone to the effects of air pollution. According to many studies, people with underlying diseases like heart disease are at higher risk of dying because of air pollution. Similarly, pregnant women are also at a higher risk.
Tips to Reduce the Harmful Effects of Pollution
First of all, you may want to consider the air quality index as a source of guidance. Actually, the EPA can help you get a better idea of the quality of air. If you find that the AQI is not in the healthy range, we suggest that you reduce your outdoor activities. This is even more important if you live near high traffic areas.
What you need to do is stay indoors and shut the windows when your air conditioner is running. With this approach, you can protect yourself against the heat. Apart from this, you can also use a surgical mask to protect yourself against large particles. However, we suggest that you go for N95 masks as they can do a great job of filtering fine particles.
Aside from this, you may also want to pay attention to your transportation. It is better that you consider healthier alternatives instead of depending on your private car. You may also want to consider local produce if possible.
Even if you want to drive, we suggest that you don’t idle your vehicle. This approach can help you save a lot of fuel and save the environment from greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.
You may also want to change your gas stove. If you want to purchase a new one, we suggest that you go for an electric or induction version. The thing is that induction cooktops can help prevent indoor pollution. Apart from this, they can also help save a lot of energy.
If possible, you may want to use good-quality air purifiers. While they cannot remove all types of pollutants, you can use them to improve your indoor air quality. We suggest that you consider an air purifier that comes with a high CADR rating based on the size of your room.
You may want to replace the filters of your air purifier. As a matter of fact, this step is of paramount importance to ensure the proper functionality of your air purifiers.
You may also want to prefer renewable sources of energy. For example, you can install solar panels on your roof to cover the energy needs of your house.
Long story short, we suggest that you follow the tips given in this article to bring the pollution level down in your environment. Hopefully, these tips will help you play your part and cleaning outdoor air and staying healthy.