What can I do to reduce exposure to outdoor air pollution?
To find out about the level of outdoor air pollution in your community, you can check the daily Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI is a measure of five pollutants: ozone (OH-zohn), particle pollution, sulfur dioxide (SUHL-fur deye-OKS-eyed), nitrogen oxide (NEYE-troh-jen OKS-eyed), and carbon monoxide (kar-bun moh-NOKS-eyed). Many newspaper, radio, and television weather forecasts also include the AQI. Learn more about the AQI, see color-coded air quality maps, and find your local AQI online at www.airnow.gov.
When the levels of air pollution are high, you can protect yourself and your family by limiting outdoor physical activity. This is because physical activity can cause you to take faster, deeper breaths, inhaling more pollutants into your lungs.
Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In: Air Pollution Solutions, Air Quality, Outdoor Air Pollution · Tagged with: environment affects women's health, reduce exposure to outdoor air pollution
What are the health effects of outdoor air pollution?
Outdoor air pollution can cause your eyes and nose to burn, your throat to itch, and even breathing problems. Exposure to air pollutants at high levels over a long period of time may lead to cancer, birth defects, brain and nerve damage, and long-term injury to the lungs and breathing passages.
Air pollution affects everyone. Children are especially susceptible to the effects of air pollution because their lungs are developing. They also spend more time active outdoors. People with lung and heart diseases are also more sensitive to outdoor air pollution.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on certain air pollutants throughout the United States. Ground-level ozone and particle pollution are two of the most common pollutants and pose the greatest threat to human health in the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In: Air Pollution Effects, Air Quality, Outdoor Air Pollution · Tagged with: Air Pollution Effects, effects of outdoor air pollution, environment, environment affect, environment affects women's health
What is outdoor air pollution?
What is outdoor air pollution and how can I be exposed to it?
There are many sources of pollution outdoors, such as:
- Emissions from cars and trucks
- Power plants that burn fossil fuels
- Factories and forest fires
Source: Department of Health and Human Services.
In: Air Pollution Effects, Outdoor Air Pollution · Tagged with: Air Pollution Effects, environment, Outdoor Air Pollution
How can the environment affect older women?
Pollutants in the environment can contribute to some illnesses that are more common in older adults. Indoor and outdoor air pollution can aggravate the symptoms of cardiovascular and lung diseases, including high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. These conditions are more common in women over the age of 50 than in men over 50.
Older adults may be more susceptible to the health effects of toxic chemicals. People who are exposed to pollutants over the course of a lifetime may have health problems when they are older. For instance, long-term exposure to pesticides may cause cancer or dementia.
Lead is a toxic metal that may be stored in bones. In postmenopausal women who were exposed to lead early in life, bone loss can release lead into the bloodstream. This may cause kidney damage, increase the risk of high blood pressure, and decrease cognitive functions.
Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In: Air Pollution Effects · Tagged with: Air Pollution Effects, environment, environment affect, environment affects women's health
Pollen may also be a trigger for respiratory conditions
Stay inside with the windows closed on high pollen days, if possible.
Use your air conditioner to help filter the air coming into the home. Central air systems are the best.
Remove indoor plants if they irritate or produce symptoms for you or your family.
Source: EPA
In: Air Pollution Causes, Air Pollution Solutions, Air Quality · Tagged with: environment, Toxins, trigger for respiratory conditions
Can the environment affect women who are pregnant or nursing?
Exposure to some toxic substances — including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, pesticides, solvents, and household chemicals — can increase the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and other pregnancy complications. These and other environmental toxins can also harm the developing bodies of fetuses and infants. Women who are pregnant or nursing or who plan to become pregnant should take special care to avoid exposure to certain chemicals.
Source: Women’s Office
In: Air Pollution Effects · Tagged with: environment, environment affects women's health
How can the environment affect children’s health?
Many types of environmental exposures are more harmful for children than for adults. There are many reasons for this:
- Relative to their body weight, children eat, breathe, and drink more than adults do. So children take in higher concentrations of any toxins in their food, water, or air.
- As organs develop, they are more likely to be damaged by exposure to toxins.
- The ways that toxins are removed from the body are not fully developed in children.
- Children spend more time outdoors, where they may be exposed to outdoor air pollution and ultraviolet radiation.
- Children do more intense physical activity, causing them to breathe air pollutants more deeply into their lungs.
- Young children tend to put their hands, dirt, or objects into their mouths.
Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In: Air Pollution Effects · Tagged with: children’s health, environment
How can the environment affect women’s health?
The environment is everything around you, indoors or outdoors. The air you breathe, water you drink, the ground you walk on, and food you eat are all part of your environment. It’s important that you know what things in the environment can affect your health and what you can do to help protect yourself and your family.
Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious health problems in women, such as cancer, lung disease, or reproductive system problems. They can also make health conditions worse. Scientists are studying the ways toxins in the environment may play a role in conditions such as breast cancer, endometriosis, and menopause. This fact sheet offers information about these toxins and steps you can take to limit exposure.
Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In: Air Pollution Effects · Tagged with: environment, environment affects women's health, Toxins
Smokers are particularly at risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smokers are particularly at risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Second-hand smoke exacerbates or worsens respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma. Cigarette smoking is responsible for 90% of all chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
What you can do:
If you smoke, stop.
Avoid tobacco smoke.
Request that family members, friends or caregivers smoke outside.
Source: US Environmental Protection Agency
In: Air Quality · Tagged with: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, environment, smokers, Toxins
Poor Air Quality and What you can do
Air Quality affects health, especially that of individuals with heart or lung disease. The Air Quality Index (AQI) tells us how clean the air is and whether it could affect our health. EPA, together with state and local agencies, forecasts and reports on current conditions for ozone and particle pollution.
What you can do:
Check the Air Quality Index (AQI) daily. If you cannot access the Internet to check it, consult your local newspaper, tv or radio weather broadcasts for daily ozone and/or particle pollution forecasts.
On bad air days (Code Orange, Red, Purple or Maroon), limit or reschedule outdoor activity.
Source: epa.gov
In: Air Quality · Tagged with: environment, Poor Air Quality