Air pollutants come from several sources, including industry, traffic, smoking and home furnaces. Prior to the 2000s, little was known about the effects of air pollution on unborn children, but researchers have since discovered that environmental...
Although air pollution might conjure images of urban smog and factory smoke stacks, its causes are many. Air pollutants come from both natural and human sources, and, unfortunately, we breathe them in every day. Recognizing the causes of air...
When you see clouds of brownish smog over a city, you can't help but wonder how it is affecting the people who live there. Since the rise of the industrial world, the automobile and the airplane, air pollution has become more and more severe. It...
In 2010, about 175 million Americans will be exposed to significant levels of air pollution, warns the American Lung Association. Air pollution may contribute to various health risks like reduced lung functioning and chronic respiratory diseases...
The detrimental effects of air pollution are widespread and many. Effects on the skin alone include dryness, premature aging, skin rashes, eczema and acne. While most people know that outdoor air pollutants can be harmful to health, not everyone...
The environment is made up of the world around us, including both living organisms and non-living material. The atmosphere contains many gases necessary for life. However, human activities release pollutants into the atmosphere that contribute to...
Clean air is an essential condition for sound human and environmental health. Particulates and chemicals flow into the air, indoors and out, from many different residential and transportation activities and industrial and utility processes. Air...
In developed countries, air pollution is typically comprised of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and suspended solid or liquid particles, according to the Merck Medical Library. As such, you can breathe these pollutants in to your lungs, especially if you...
It is ironic that the place you consider a safe haven in reality represents your greatest risk from the dangers of indoor air pollution. You spend most of your indoor time at home, so naturally your risk from exposure to air pollutants will likely...
There are numerous diseases that may be caused by air pollution. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or NIEHS--a division of the National Institutes of Health--long-term exposure to air pollutants boosts a person's...
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that indoor levels of air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. In some cases, they may be more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. Poor indoor air quality can adversely...
Humans developed the technology to power electric plants, vehicles and factories. These technologies often rely on fossil fuels such as wood, gasoline and coal, which contribute to air pollution. As pollution accumulates, blankets of smog and...
When you think of pollution, car exhaust and other outdoor pollutants that contribute to poor outdoor air quality may come to mind. But retreating to the indoors doesn't necessarily protect you from unhealthy contaminants. In fact your home may...
At home, school or in the workplace, the quality of the air your breathe is often different than the air quality just outside the window. Poor ventilation and even energy-smart buildings that create seals to save energy increase the amount of...
Oil, coal and other fossil fuels serve as the main source of energy for transportation, electricity and heating in the U.S. While these fuels make living and working easier and more convenient for many people, they also produce harmful...
Americans spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Furnaces, tobacco products, building materials, household chemicals and furnishings release pollutants into your home or...
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the quality of the air in your home may be worse than outdoor air, even in the most polluted industrialized cities. Because you spend so much time in your home--90 percent of your time,...
The World Health Organization estimates that 800,000 people worldwide die prematurely from lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses associated with outdoor air pollution each year. The effects of outdoor air pollution on health are...
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, or ATSDR, explains that pollution is the presence of substances where they should not be or at levels higher than they should be. The most common types of air pollutants are carbon monoxide,...
Air pollution within homes and businesses is estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency to be two to five times more concentrated than it is outside of the home. In America, where people spend 90 percent of their time indoors, the prevalence...
Air pollution is a growing concern because it increases risk of heart disease. Risk of heart disease from air pollution are compounded because of long-term exposure. Toxins in the air are thought to produce inflammation that can lead to heart...
Indoor air has been found to be 5-6 times more contaminated than outdoor air, even in high-traffic, population-dense areas like inner cities. This may seem counter-intuitive because of known carcinogens like diesel and carbon monoxide pollution...
Air pollution refers to dangerous substances in the air that have a negative impact on the environment, the economy and/or the health of both humans and animals. Although people frequently associate air pollution with outdoor pollution only,...
With the growth of population, large cities, and manufacturing plants across the world, air pollution is an ever-increasing and troubling problem. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, hundreds of toxins and pollutants exist in...
The effects of air pollution are not confined to the atmosphere. Air pollution containing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide causes acid rain, which in turn pollutes aquatic resources and soils. Air pollution is responsible for a host of other ills...
The dirty, brown cloud that hovers over some American cities is a mixture of car exhaust, factory fumes, smoke and other pollutants. Known as smog, this form of pollution mars the view and casts a depressing pall over everything. But air pollution...
Indoor air pollution refers to toxic contaminants that we encounter in our daily lives in our homes, schools and workplaces. According to the California Air Resources Board (ARB), part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, many...
You may think that air pollution is something only associated with factories and automobile exhaust. However, indoor air quality can have profound impacts on your health and longevity. Several factors can determine the quality of the air you...
Cars that rely upon fossil fuels, which constitute most of the cars on the road, are powered by a combustion reaction that produces an exhaust. This exhaust is emitted back into the atmosphere, which can cause detrimental effects in sufficiently...
Rhinitis is a chronic runny or stuffy nose. Rhinitis means that the lining of your nose swells due to expanding blood vessels which causes a congested and drippy nose. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for rhinitis...
Sore throat, or pharyngitis, is a painful condition wherein the pharynx inflames and makes swallowing difficult. Learn more about sore throat in this health video.
If your chest starts to feel sore and you develop a cough followed by the chills or a slight fever, you just might have bronchitis. Bronchitis is a condition that occurs when the inner walls that line the main air passageways of your lungs become...
