People Suffering From Asthma Should Be Very Careful With Air Pollution

An asthma attack is a frightening experience that threatens to deprive you of your ability to breathe and of life itself. According to the calculations of the World Health Organization, 235 million people suffer from asthma, which is the most common chronic disease among children. More than 80 percent of asthma deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.

World Asthma Day, May 7, 2019, reminds us that people with chronic respiratory problems are particularly vulnerable to all forms of air pollution.

One form of pollution that particularly affects people in cities is the transport of emissions.

"Living on London's busy A2 road, which carries thousands of cars, trucks and buses, I am often concerned about the impact of air pollution on my health," says Tom Bartlett, a 24-year-old asthma patient. Close and use secondary roads whenever possible to avoid fumes. "

A new study says that vehicle pollution results in 4 million cases of asthma per year, equivalent to 11,000 new cases each day. The research, published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, is the first global assessment of the impact of traffic fumes on childhood asthma based on high-resolution contamination data. The key pollutant, nitrogen dioxide, is produced in large part by diesel vehicles.

"This is an important study and shows how dangerous vehicle emissions are for children in urban areas," says Soraya Smaoun.

Heavy traffic in Manila, Philippines. Photo of Judgefloro / Wikimedia Commons

Risk factors for asthma.

The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are a combination of genetic predisposition with environmental exposure to substances and inhaled particles that can cause allergic reactions or irritate the respiratory tract.

Aggravating factors for asthma sufferers may be indoor allergens, such as house dust mites on bedding, carpets or pet dander; outdoor allergens such as pollen; and tobacco smoke.

"Urbanization has been associated with an increase in asthma. But the exact nature of this relationship is not clear, "says the World Health Organization.

Because children are shorter than adults, they are closer to the ground and, therefore, to the exhaust pipes of vehicles. In addition, young children breathe faster, which means they take in more air relative to their body weight.

Nairobi, Kenya: buses often leave their engines running to attract customers. Photo by Jack Kavanagh / UN Environment

Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), collectively called NOx, are emitted from gasoline and diesel vehicles, and power generation. They are important pollutants that cause heart and respiratory diseases and continue to increase rapidly in developing countries.

Statistically, nine out of 10 people around the world are exposed to levels of air pollutants that exceed the safety levels of the World Health Organization. According to the United Nations Children's Fund, 17 million babies around the world breathe toxic air.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/asthma-sufferers-need-be-ultra-wary-air-pollution