Air Pollution And Asthma: Is There A Link?

Air pollution can cause and worsen asthma.

Air pollution can be defined as the presence in the air of substances harmful to humans. It is associated with a high risk of premature deaths due to cardio-vascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lower respiratory infections, and lung cancer.

Pollutants in the air can irritate the airways, making them swell and tighten up, and cause breathing problems. Pollutants can also make children more likely to catch upper respiratory infections (like colds), which can bring on asthma symptoms. If allergens in the air are an asthma trigger, pollutants can make the lungs even more sensitive to them.

Ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide are some of the gases that can harm the lungs. These gases are formed by the burning of different types of fuels.

Particulate matter (PM) is a complex heterogeneous mixture of dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets from both natural and man-made sources. PM penetrates deeply into the lungs and increases the frequency and severity of asthma attacks, exacerbating bronchitis and other lung diseases.

Young children with asthma have long been regarded as a group who are very susceptible to adverse effects from air pollution because of their developing lungs, immature metabolic pathways, high ventilation rates per body weight, and increased time exercising outdoors.

Air pollution can make asthma symptoms worse and trigger asthma attacks

Asthma is a serious and life-threatening chronic respiratory disease that affects the quality of life of more than 23 million Americans. It is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterised by respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, dyspnoea, cough and chest tightness associated with variable expiratory airflow limitation.

Pollutants in the air can have the same effect on kids with asthma as other triggers. They irritate the airways, making them swell and tighten up, and cause breathing problems. Pollutants can also make kids more likely to catch upper respiratory infections (like colds), which can bring on asthma symptoms. If allergens in the air are an asthma trigger, pollutants can make the lungs even more sensitive to them.

You've probably heard about the ozone layer and how it protects us from the sun's rays. But there's a different layer of ozone that’s closer to the ground called ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone can harm the lungs. It forms when chemicals from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight. This "ozone pollution" is a main part of smog — the brownish-yellow haze often seen hanging over cities on the horizon. It's worse on warmer days or in warm parts of the country.

Particle pollution also can cause breathing problems. It's created when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and other stuff hang in the air (for example, from wildfires). The smaller the particles, the deeper they can get into the lungs and cause breathing problems.

Other pollutants include gases (such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) that come from the burning of different types of fuels. High levels can affect lung function.

Check the Air Quality Index

If you live in an area with poor air quality, pay attention to pollution levels. You can get daily information from weather reports (online or in the newspaper) or by visiting the Environmental Protection Agency at www.airnow.gov.

The EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) report measures the levels of:

• Ground-level ozone
• Particulate matter (PM)
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Carbon monoxide
• Sulfur dioxide

The AQI varies from season to season, from day to day, and even from morning to evening. In cities with more than 350,000 people, state and local agencies are required to report the index to the public daily. But many smaller communities also report the AQI. It uses a color-coded system to indicate when air quality is dangerous:

• Green or yellow are for acceptable conditions
• Orange, red, purple, or maroon mean people with asthma should limit their time outdoors

In many places, the next day's index is also reported, so you can make plans.

On days when air quality is poor, run the air conditioning and limit your child’s outdoor activities, if possible. Plan any outdoor activities for early in the day — when air quality tends to be better — and avoid spending time in areas with a lot of traffic. If you must spend time in a car, close the windows and vents and run the air conditioning instead.

If your child is in a sport that practices outside during hot weather, talk to the coach about other arrangements, such as working out in an air-conditioned gym. Also, make sure your child always has the medicine used for quick relief of symptoms (called quick-relief, rescue, or fast-acting medicine) on hand.

Improving the air quality in your home is also wise. You can do this by using an air cleaner, venting all gas appliances to the outside, and avoiding wood fires in your house.

Talk to your doctor about increasing medicine during times when air pollution is high. These changes can be included as part of your child's asthma action plan.

Pollutants can also make children more likely to catch upper respiratory infections, which can bring on asthma symptoms

Pollutants can make children more likely to catch upper respiratory infections, which can bring on asthma symptoms.

Air pollution is a global health issue of great importance and a risk factor for developing cardiorespiratory diseases. These contaminants induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, triggering the inflammatory response that alters cell and tissue homeostasis and facilitates the development of diseases.

The effects of air pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.1), and indoor air pollutants on respiratory health have been widely reported. For instance, epidemiological and experimental studies have shown associations between hospital admissions for individual diseases and increased air pollutant levels.

It has been proposed that deleterious effects of pollutants are related to their ability to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which trigger oxidative stress and inflammation in the airways. Eventually, these events can become systemic processes and promote prothrombotic mechanisms, alter heart rhythm and blood flow, and generate vascular dysfunction.

The effects of pollutants such as PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and NO2, on respiratory viral infections, are mainly mediated by the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the alteration of the immune response, and, in the case of rhinovirus, the rise in the expression of its receptor (ICAM-1). Together, these mechanisms facilitate viral pathogenesis, as evidenced by the increase of hospitalizations and incidence of viral infections.

Asthma is a serious and life-threatening chronic respiratory disease that affects the quality of life of more than 23 million Americans

Air pollution is a major trigger of asthma symptoms and can cause asthma attacks. Pollutants in the air can irritate the airways, making them swell and tighten up, and cause breathing problems. Pollutants can also make children more likely to catch upper respiratory infections, which can bring on asthma symptoms. If allergens in the air are an asthma trigger, pollutants can make the lungs even more sensitive to them.

Ground-level ozone, which forms when chemicals from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight, is a main part of smog. Particle pollution, which is created when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and other substances hang in the air, can also cause breathing problems. Other pollutants include gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, which come from the burning of different types of fuels. High levels can affect lung function.

Young children with asthma are very susceptible to adverse effects from air pollution because of their developing lungs, immature metabolic pathways, high ventilation rates per body weight, and increased time exercising outdoors. Asthma exacerbations are more prevalent and severe in young boys than in girls.

Asthma is a major public health concern, and air pollution is a significant contributor to its development and exacerbation.Understanding the mechanisms by which exposure to air pollutants contributes to the onset of asthma, especially in non-atopic children and adults, is crucial for developing effective preventive strategies.

African American Adolescents are more vulnerable to air pollution than other children

Air pollution is a serious issue that affects the quality of life for millions of Americans, especially those with asthma. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects over 23 million Americans, and research has long linked it to exposure to air pollution.

Additionally, racial and ethnic minorities in the US, including African Americans, are exposed to higher levels of dangerous fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) than other groups. This disparity has persisted even as overall PM2.5 levels have decreased over the years. The higher exposure to air pollution among African Americans is due in part to decades of residential segregation, resulting in their tendency to live in areas with greater pollution.

Furthermore, socioeconomic factors also play a role in the increased vulnerability of African American adolescents to air pollution. Low socioeconomic status has been consistently linked to a higher risk of premature death from fine particle pollution.

Overall, the evidence suggests that African American adolescents are disproportionately affected by air pollution and are more vulnerable to its adverse health effects, particularly those with asthma.

Air pollution may impact DNA associated with asthma

Air pollution can cause asthma, and there is some evidence that it may do so by affecting DNA.

Air pollution is a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. It is produced by human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels, and natural sources, such as volcanoes.

Air pollution can cause asthma, and there is some evidence that it may do so by affecting DNA.

DNA is a molecule that contains our genetic code. It is made up of two strands of molecules called nucleotides, which pair up: Adenine (A) with Thymine (T), and Cytosine (C) with Guanine (G).

DNA can be modified by a process called methylation, where a methyl group (CH3) is added to the Cytosine (C) nucleotide. This can affect how the DNA is read, and so can affect how our bodies work.

Some studies have found that air pollution is associated with changes in DNA methylation. For example, one study found that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) during pregnancy was associated with changes in DNA methylation in cord blood samples.

However, the evidence is not yet clear, and more research is needed to understand the relationship between air pollution and DNA methylation.

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