Environmental Effects Of Traffic Congestion: What Effects Does the Environment Have On Your Health?.
Humans are affected by their environment. Anything they are exposed to can have health repercussions that range from mild afflictions to dangerous consequences. These environmental effects can mean the difference between living a healthy life and struggling with pollutant related health problems. In some cases, they can mean the difference between living a healthy life and not living at all.
What makes pollutants dangerous?.
One simple yet crucial answer is their size. Smaller particles can pose the greatest problem. Because of their size, it is easier for them to infiltrate the body via the lungs. Once they have made their way into the body, they can trigger an immune system response that can create even more problems. Depending on the pollutant, they can irritate the lungs, interfere with the supply of oxygen to parts of the body, or further complicate heart and lung issues.
So What Are You Breathing?.
Some of the offending substances are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide. All of these can contribute to the problems listed above. Of course, all of this depends upon the amount of each substance in the air, how long you are exposed to the levels you come in contact with, and any pre-existing condition, such as a lung disease or any heart problems. A pre-existing condition could leave you more vulnerable to these substances.
What Can You Do?.
The simple answer would seem to be to limit your exposure to pollutants. Unfortunately, your ability to do this largely depends on where you live and where you have to go on any given day. Your proximity to hotbeds of pollutant activity, such as freeways, is one of the deciding factors. Your avoidance of such clear breeding grounds for pollution can help you limit your intake of these possibly harmful substances.
Everyone knows you are what you eat, but people are beginning to understand that you need to watch what you breathe in, too.
