Health Impacts of Air Quality

 Health Impacts of Air Quality

Climate change affects air quality, which in turn can lead to adverse health outcomes. Disruptions to weather patterns influence our air quality by increasing and distributing air pollutants, such as ground-level ozone, fine particulates, wildfire smoke, and dust. Changes to weather seasons also impact the production, distribution, and severity of airborne allergens. The EPA’s Air Quality National Summary Report states that around 100 million people living in the U.S. reside in communities where air pollution exceeds health-based air quality standards 1 . While primarily affecting outdoor air quality, these pollutants and allergens can also impair indoor air quality by entering homes, schools, and buildings. Additionally, climate change may contribute to the increased prevalence of indoor pollutants like mold.

Respiratory and Cardiovascular Impacts

Poor air quality can negatively affect human health. Exposure to air pollutants or airborne allergens can directly harm our respiratory and cardiovascular systems or exacerbate existing conditions in susceptible populations 2 , 3 , 4 . Children, older adults, persons with asthma, and immunocompromised persons are most vulnerable to air quality impacts.

Respiratory impacts can include asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases 5 , while cardiovascular impacts can include hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke 6 . Globally, millions of premature deaths are caused by air pollution 7 . Exposure to and inhalation of ground-level ozone and particulate pollution account for tens of thousands of hospital visits each year 8 . Symptoms of ozone and particulate pollution exposure can include chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, congestion, and reduced lung function. Similarly, higher pollen concentrations and longer growing seasons, consequences of warming temperatures, can increase sensitivity to allergens and severe allergic reactions, such as allergy-induced asthma attacks.

Climate-related changes to weather patterns are increasing the frequency and severity of droughts 9 , which can create conditions for dust and dust-borne pathogens such as bacterial and fungal spores to enter homes, buildings, and schools.

Opportunities for Public Health Improvement

Changes to the built environment can be effective measures to protect human health and safeguard communities from the health effects of climate change. For example, low impact landscaping and tree cover in urban settings can help mitigate air pollution.

Effective measures for improving air quality can also include transportation alternatives. Reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled while increasing carpooling, use of public transportation, and other alternative transportation options can lower the level of emissions of ozone, particulate matter, and other pollutants associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Reduced electricity use in areas that burn coal or other fossil fuels for energy production can lower exposure to heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, and nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides.