Glossary
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-COPD
Air pollutants- the particles that pollute air
Asthma- This is a chronic lung ailment, which causes inflammation and narrowing of the airways.
Biomass-this is a biological material that is obtained from living organisms, particularly plant-based
Particulate matter- this term refers to the assortment of solid particles and liquid drips found in the air
Introduction
Air pollution refers to the introduction of biological molecules and other dangerous materials into the globe’s atmosphere, causing diseases and eventual deaths. In addition, the damage is extended to other living organisms such as crops. Most of the diseases caused by polluted air are respiratory related. This essay intends to examine the relationship between air pollution and the respiratory health. This study will have a bias on the respiratory health effects of air pollution related on the biomass smoke and traffic pollution.
Literature review
There is a lot of evidence that gives opinions that air pollution largely contributes to the immense burden of the respiratory and allergic diseases, which include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tuberculosis, asthma and pneumonia among others. Though correlations between air pollution and respiratory ailments is a bit complicated, latest epidemiologic investigations have contributed to an increased level of cognizance of the up coming significance of traffic-attributed air pollution in both developed and less-developed worlds as well as the sustained significance of emissions from local fires that burn biomass fuels fundamentally in the less-developed world (Vallero, 2008). It is imperative to note that, the emissions from such sources contribute to personal exposures to complicated mixtures of air pollutants, which fluctuate quickly in the atmosphere and time because of the erratic emission rates. However, the level of variability of personal exposure to these pollutants remains a big task, modern methods of assessing and exhibiting the exposures have commenced to disentangle complex relationships with Asthma and other respiratory ailments. According to this study, the air pollution from these sources is a primary preventable cause of the lofty occurrence and exacerbation of respiratory disease. On a similar note, this study reveals that the physicians can play a fundamental role in reducing risks of adversative respiratory impacts of exposure to biomass and traffic air pollutants by advancing awareness and offering sustenance individual and community-level interposition.
Intensive investigation has been on the rise because of the augmented rates of asthma and COPD over the past decades. The investigation is centered on the role of the milieu factors. This includes air pollution in their causativeness. In addition, the recent investigation on this issue suggests that air pollution underwrites to the significant global wide encumbrance of disease from acute lower respiratory ailments and possibly tuberculosis. Although the health effects attributed to air-pollution has been an international public health apprehension since 1950s, the latest research has switched focus on two primary sources of air pollution (Vallero, 2008). They include biomass fuels (BMF) and vehicles. In-depth comprehension, of the health upshots arising from BMF and traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) has dawdled behind that of ambient air effluence. This aspect is attributed to the challenges faced in approximating the highly capricious discrete exposure from these prevalent, but restricted air pollution sources.
Air pollution is one of the numerous environmental factors for which a contributory responsibility in exacerbation of complicated respiratory has been suggested. According to Foster & Costa (2005), the less polluted developed nations have higher rates of asthma compared to the numerous nations with higher air pollution rates. It is notable that, exposure to TRAP is associated with the increasing rates of allergic respiratory ailments. Even though tobacco smoke has been cited as the cause of the COPD across the globe, recent research indicates that the BMF smoke is the primary cause of COPD, particularly among women in the developing nations. Moreover, the present evidence points that BMF smoke plays a significant role in mortality, particularly from the lower respiratory ailments among the children exposed to the milieus where BMF is used. It is notable that this study emphasizes the association between respiratory health effects and the exposure to TRAP and biomass air pollution (Foster & Costa, 2005).
Exposures to Biomass and Traffic Pollutants
Contact with BMF smoke and TRAP are prevalent. For instance, the domestic fires which consume biomass for cooking remain the most expensive and significant source of contact to air pollution of the majority of the human race. The biomass can be from the crop residues, raw plant materials, wood and dung among others. According to United States (2011), about 2.4 billion people across the globe live in households in which BMF is the major source of cooking fuel. This high rate of BMF utilization is associated with the high population that lives in rural areas. Consider the following table of biomass use in India and the neighboring nations (United States, 2011).
Courtesy of Vallero, D. A. (2008). Fundamentals of air pollution. Amsterdam: Elsevier
The table below indicates the quantum of biomass fuel use in India a lone.
Courtesy of Vallero, D. A. (2008). Fundamentals of air pollution. Amsterdam: Elsevier
Taking into consideration the listed percentage of biomass fuel used, it is notable that the amount of energy used for cooking depends on the numerous Factors, which include the type of food cooked, the size of the household and cooking equipment among others. This tells us that the statistics must have embraced the upward trend and presently the BMF usage is approximated to be thrice that of 2003, because of the increased population and consequent household size (United States, 2011).
Relationship between TRAP and BMF, and Effects
Despite the cultural pattern associated with economic development, the emissions attributed to the domestic fires and from vehicles share similarities in the content, extent of toxicity and level of exposure features. For instance, the complex aerosol emissions from the utilization of BMF have similar elements with those found in TRAP. These components include the particulate matter, elements of carbon dioxide and other gases such as nitrogen oxides. This shared similarity between the two primary sources of air pollution contributes to the present research focus on the two areas (Fullerton & University of Liverpool, 2011).
This study indicates that extensive sources of air pollution from the factories, those of biomass and traffic emissions tend to be nearer to the receptors. This implies that, only those individuals who are dealing with the sources directly are affected. However, on the other end that characterizes the less developed nations, the biomass emissions happen significantly indoors and this makes the majority of the women and children to be exposed. This study evidences that, the exposures are increased by abridged ventilation in homes, which use biomass. In the case of the vehicle emissions, the exacerbation is increased in urban areas where there is heightened congestion of people and vehicles (Laumbach & Kipen, 2012).
In essence, the most resolutely established upshots of BMF emissions include severe lower respiratory infections in children and CORP in adults. Whereas the ambient pollution effects, augmented cardiovascular and respiratory indisposition and mortality for a multiplicity of results, the investigation on TRAP indicates that its effects are largely attributed to asthma and pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization statistics, close to 1.5 million lives are lost prematurely annually because of BMF smoke (Laumbach & Kipen, 2012). On a similar note, the study on TRAP and COPD indicates that the children who live in more polluted places, experience reduced lung growth in comparison with those who live in cleaner milieus. In the case of adults, they have experienced similar malfunctioning.
Conclusion
Indoor air pollution emanating from BMF inexplicably affects women and children. In addition, it forms the primary cause of the fundamental global mortality and morbidity. This study finds out that, this segment of global disease, which affects a vast proportion of people across the worlds’ population, is neglected. This study concludes the following areas should be researched on
- For proper planning of effective intervention investigations, more time should be set side for toxicological studies.
- The effects of technological and behavioral interventions should be tested by use of randomized trials to increase reliability and efficiency.
In essence, this study succeeds in gaining the overall correlation between TRAP and BMF, and effects, hence the world researchers and government should collaborate and put efforts in intervening to help lives that are lost annually.
References
Vallero, D. A. (2008). Fundamentals of air pollution. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Foster, W. M., & Costa, D. L. (2005). Air pollutants and the respiratory tract. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis.
United States. (2011). Effects of common air pollutants. United States: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fullerton, D. G., & University of Liverpool,. (2011). Indoor air pollution from biomass fuel smoke and its effect on respiratory health, in a population at risk of HIV related pneumonia.
Laumbach, R. J., & Kipen, H. M. (January 01, 2012). Respiratory health effects of air pollution: Update on biomass smoke and traffic pollution. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 129, 1, 3-11.
