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Air Pollution's Effects on the Human Respiratory System.
Nehaarika Kantipudi1, Vivek Patel2, Graham Jones2
1Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5 Canada.
Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
|December 5, 2017
Summary
Air pollution, both indoor and ambient, causes serious respiratory and cardiac illnesses. Biomedical engineering and mathematical models can help identify pollutants and understand their health impacts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Respiratory Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Air pollution is defined by the World Health Organization as atmospheric modification by chemical, physical, or biological agents.
- Common pollutants include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide.
- Both indoor and ambient air pollution contribute to significant health issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the epidemiology of air pollution exposure.
- To outline the types of respiratory diseases linked to air pollution.
- To explore the mechanisms of air pollution's physiological effects.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on air pollution and respiratory illnesses.
- Discussion of epidemiological associations between pollution exposure and disease.
- Exploration of potential technological and modeling contributions.
Main Results:
- Excess air pollution exposure is linked to acute and chronic respiratory diseases like COPD, asthma, allergies, and lung cancer.
- Vulnerable populations, including the very young and elderly, and outdoor athletes face higher risks.
- Biomedical engineering and nanotechnology offer tools for pollutant identification.
- Mathematical models can characterize physiological impacts.
Conclusions:
- Air pollution poses a significant global health threat, particularly to the respiratory system.
- Understanding the epidemiology and mechanisms is crucial for mitigation.
- Advanced technologies like nanotechnology and mathematical modeling are vital for addressing air pollution's health effects.
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