Health Effects of Ozone and Particle Pollution cont'd

For example, in a study published in 2003, researchers evaluated a series of autopsied lungs from Mexico City, a city with high particle levels, and compared them to lungs from Vancouver, where there is very little air pollution. The small airways in the Mexico City lungs showed markedly higher levels of fibrous tissue and muscle, and microscopic evidence of particle accumulation in the respiratory bronchioles. The study demonstrates that particle pollution penetrates into and is retained in the walls of small airways. The resulting damage to the lungs was similar to that found in the lungs of cigarette smokers.12

Studies showing the dangers of particle pollution are pouring in by the thousands. More than 2,000 peer-reviewed studies have been published since 1996, when the EPA last reviewed the standards for particle pollution. The new studies validate the research done before 1996 -- showing the strong relationship between particle pollution, illness, hospitalization and premature death. Most research distinguishes exposure to particle pollution by whether the elevated levels last for a "short-term" or a "long-term." Short-term exposure is when particle pollution levels are particularly high over a period of a few hours to a few days. Studies of year-round or long-term exposure measure air pollution and health effects over a number of years. Both types of exposure are harmful to your health. Findings from the research are below.

First and foremost, short-term exposure to particle pollution can cause premature death. Those deaths can occur on the very day that particle levels are high, or within one to two months afterwards. Unfortunately, particle pollution does not just make people die a few days earlier than they might otherwise: these are deaths that would not have occurred without the pollution.13 Particle pollution also diminishes lung function, causes greater use of asthma medications, and increased rates of school absenteeism, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Other adverse effects can be coughing, wheezing, cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks. Take a look at some of the findings from some of the latest studies:

Short-term increases in particle pollution have been linked to:

• Death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes, including strokes14,15,16
• Increased numbers of heart attacks, especially among the elderly and in people with heart conditions17
• Inflammation of lung tissue in young, healthy adults18
• Increased hospitalization for cardiovascular disease19
• Increased emergency room visits for patients suffering from acute respiratory ailments20
• Increased hospitalization for asthma among children21, 22, 23
• Increased severity of asthma attacks in children24

Chronic exposure to particle pollution can shorten your life by one to three years.25 Other symptoms range from premature births to serious respiratory disorders -- even when the particle levels are very low.

Year-round exposure to particle pollution has also been linked to:

• Increased asthma hospitalization for children living within 200 meters of roads with heavy truck or trailer traffic26
• Slowed lung function growth in children and teenagers27, 28
• Significant damage to the small airways of the lungs29
• Increased risk of dying from lung cancer30
• Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease31

Anyone living in an area with a high level of particle pollution is affected (you can take a look at levels in your state in this report.). People who are at the greatest risk from particle pollution exposure are: those with lung disease such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema; people with sensitive airways, where exposure to particle pollution can cause wheezing, coughing, and respiratory irritation; the elderly; people with heart disease; and children.

 Health Effects continued...