It is harmful to everyone. Even more so for children, pregnant women and the elderly. And disastrous in the case of those who suffer from ailments such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . We refer to air pollution, the danger of which is supported by data from the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR): in our country 10,000 people die every year as a result of poor air quality . Regarding those diagnosed with a chronic respiratory disease, Isabel Urrutia, pulmonologist and coordinator of the Environment area of SEPAR, explains that “when pollution increases, their symptoms increase, and it is documented that they go to the emergency room more and there are more hospitalizations”.
Some of the consequences of these high pollution episodes are, in the words of Dr. Urrutia, “an increase in respiratory infections and pneumonia , especially in children, although there is also an increase in the latter disease in older people.” Beyond these cases or the complications in asthma or COPD patients, the specialist points out that other serious health problems associated with poor air quality have been observed, such as lung embolism and myocardial infarction. It should be noted that among the conditions linked in some way to pollution, COPD is the one with the highest mortality rates, along with pneumonia in the elderly.
Air pollution not only has implications for diseases of the respiratory system
Dr. Urrutia explains that “there is a very important study led by Jordi Sunyer, professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), which establishes that pollution exerts a direct influence on children’s cognitive impairment” . This work evaluates the role of prenatal exposure and in the first years of life to fine particles in suspension, which are those with a diameter less than or equal to 2.5 microns (one micron is equivalent to one millionth of a meter ). This research concluded that children from four to six years old exposed to poor quality air have worse working memory , also called operational memory, which is what allows us to keep in mind the information necessary to complete the task at any given time. we are running. However, this negative association does not occur among girls who develop in the same environments. Among the ills linked to increased exposure to fine particles are attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The children of pregnant women exposed to an unhealthy atmosphere also fare quite badly. “They are more likely to be premature, die in childbirth or suffer from lung ailments . Furthermore, the lung function of children whose schools are in highly polluted places decreases over the years ”, warns Dr. Urrutia. These children appear to be more likely to develop chronic diseases in adulthood.
With this panorama, is it necessary for public administrations to take measures to improve the state of the air?
The pulmonologist is blunt in this regard: ” Yes, we must reduce the emission of pollutants .” And to exemplify the positive effects of the fall in pollution, he cites the case of Madrid Central , the low-emission zone that began to be applied in November 2018: “ When vehicle circulation was reduced, air quality improved notably . But a political strategy executed by technicians is still necessary ”. To maximize the positive effects of these projects, “we all have to get involved,” says Dr. Urrutia, who also advocates enhancing the role of health professionals.
“We pulmonologists must incorporate environmental training into our knowledge and contribute to raising people’s awareness. We already give health education to asthmatics and COPD patients: we educate them to reduce exposure and teach them how to do it ”. Should you wear masks to protect yourself? “Some work and others do not, you have to see each specific case.”
Regarding the measures that citizens can take, Dr. Urrutia believes that they are few and very clear.
“Patients, especially chronic respiratory patients, have to inform themselves and avoid walking on the street for a long time on days with the most pollution . Despite the benefits of walking or playing sports outdoors, they should avoid direct breathing of this air ”.
Less pollution = less mortality
The World Health Organization (WHO) directly associates the improvement of air quality with a drop in mortality rates, and states that if the presence of PM10 particles in suspension (those with less than 10 microns in diameter) Falling from 70 to 20 micrograms per cubic meter (the objective set in its air quality guidelines) could reduce deaths associated with pollution by 15%, in addition to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases associated with it. According to the WHO, reducing pollution to the levels established in its guide would also reduce “emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants that contribute to climate change.”
The latter is important, because scientists link the global climate disorder to the abundance of extreme meteorological phenomena (major storms, hurricanes, floods …), which have consequences for health. How? They facilitate the spread of diseases transmitted by water or by insects. This is the case of the dengue virus and the malaria parasite, which travel in certain mosquitoes.
By Nieves Sebastián
