The Fight Against Pollution Has a Strange Effect on Health

We all know that reducing the level of air pollution is a good thing for the environment, but it can also have a positive impact on health. Even though you may not realize it, you have probably experienced some health-related symptoms of air pollution. Some common symptoms include coughing, wheezing and watery eyes. The severity of your symptoms will depend on any pre-existing conditions you have and your proximity to the source of the pollution. For example, if you suffer from heart disease, lung disease or work outdoors, you are probably more susceptible to the effects of air pollution.

Recent studies have revealed that long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution can even have an adverse effect on your brain health. Some of the problems detected related to brain health include memory issues, depression, learning disabilities and problems with focusing. Though many studies in the past have revealed the effects on the heart and lungs in particular, new studies on the negative impact of air pollution on brain health are cause for even more alarm in combating the pollution problem that exists worldwide.

In addition to these other serious medical issues, air pollution has also been linked to the cause of gastrointestinal disorders. Even short-term exposure to air pollution has been shown to cause severe abdominal pain. Researchers have also linked exposure to air pollution to inflammatory bowel disease.

While the relationship between exposure to air pollution and many serious medical conditions can certainly be cause for alarm, the good news is that improving the quality of air is shown to equally improve one's health condition. That is to say, if someone exposed to poor air quality is substance quickly relocated or exposed to improved air quality, the symptoms of their condition may reverse or improve.

The major take away from that finding is that there are serious gains to be made from improving the quality of our air. Fighting pollution is linked to more than simply preventing the onset of heart, brain, lung and gastrointestinal diseases. For example, areas that have been shown to have improved their air quality post lower rates of residence being admitted to the hospital for air pollution related illnesses. In addition, there are fewer cases of asthma reported along with other respiratory illnesses. There is also a link between lower infant mortality rates and better air quality.

An added benefit of fewer health problems as a result of the reduction in air pollution is that less money is being spent on hospital stays and missed days of work. This can translate to increase in spending on proactive health care measures that further serve to keep people out of the emergency room and hospital in general.