Health consequences of air pollution

Air pollution is meant any harmful and dangerous to living organisms a substance that should not be in the air. Every harmful substance in the air brings with it a number of health consequences. Some health effects are felt already at the time of exposure, and others may only be after a long time. They concern the entire organism, starting from the respiratory system and giving immediate or chronic symptoms and ending with the death of the exposed organism. In the case of health consequences affecting the respiratory system, there may be bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumoconiosis, and upper and lower airway infections may occur. Air pollution also affects the cardiovascular system and may contribute to atherosclerosis, hypertension, stroke and heart failure. In addition, the risk of exposure to these pollutants may be the cause of increased incidence of cancer, among others. lung, cervical or bladder cancer. A special group exposed to these contaminants are pregnant women, children, the elderly and chronically sick people. However, because of the extent of the consequences of air pollution, everyone should be aware of the scale of the problem. Sources of air pollution are clearly related to human economic activity, therefore strategies should be developed to counteract the health effects of air pollution. Ecological education and changing the mentality of society can play an important role