Health Issues

How can particulate pollution affect our health?

[Short-term exposure to PM 10]

Short-term exposures to PM (hours or days) can aggravate lung disease, causing asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, and may also increase susceptibility to respiratory infections. For people with heart disease, short-term exposures can lead to heart attacks and arrhythmias.
It can cause:

Headache
Nose, Throat, Eyes Inflamation
Coughing, Painful breathing
Pneumonia, Bronchitis
Skin irritation

[Long-term exposure to PM 10]

The International Institute of Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated fine dust as a class I carcinogen. This proves that particulate matter is closely related to lung cancer, and in fact, large collaborations have also emerged to find the long-term effects of particulate matter. The European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE), conducted by the University of Utrecht analyzed 300,000 health data and 2,095 cancer patients in the 9 European countries in 2013. The research found that with an increase of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 pollution, the risk of lung cancer rose by 18%, and for every increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter in PM10 pollution the risk increased by 22%, with stronger effects indicated for adenocarcinomas.

Exposure to Fine Dust can have detrimental health effects and has been known to lead to coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, irritation of the eyes/nose/throat, and can trigger asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems. Scientific studies have also linked exposure to an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, certain cancers, and birth defects. Lung cancer also appears to be at higher risk from particle pollution asthma and bronchitis heart attack and stroke.

[Relationship of PM10 and COVID-19]

PM is associated with the aggravation of acute events of existing pathologies, especially in children and the elderly; it increases patient susceptibility and immune response to virus infection; and it may enhance exposure, acting as a virus carrier.

Almost 70% of the study participants suffered mild COVID-19. However, the highest rates of mild COVID-19 occurred in localities where the average PM10 concentration was below the PM10 WHO guideline value. In contrast, the highest rates of mortality were found in localities above this PM10 reference limit.

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