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Breathe Easier
6 right-now ways to protect yourself from air pollution
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It’s hard to believe that air pollution was once so bad that people keeled over and died from it—as happened during Thanksgiving in 1966, when thick smog trapped by stagnant weather killed more than 160 people in New York City. Since then, environmental laws have made the nation’s air dramatically cleaner.
However, ongoing research (mandated by the landmark Clean Air Act of 1970) finds that air pollution across the country still causes serious health problems and even shortens lives. The very latest studies indicate that breathing noxious air can harm you in ways not imagined before—and damage occurs at pollution levels much lower than previously thought. “We have made great strides in improving the state of our air, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be,” says Janice Nolen, assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy at the American Lung Association (ALA).
About half of Americans live in areas with chronically unhealthy levels of pollution, according to the ALA’s 2007 annual survey of the nation’s air quality. But don’t assume you can breathe easy if you live outside a big city: Some of the worst air wafts through pastoral places such as California’s San Joaquin Valley and the quaint farm country around Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “Weather and geography play as much of a role in your exposure to air pollution as anything else,” says Robert D. Brook, MD, assistant professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.
Take a look out your window: If you see a brownish pall near the horizon, it indicates locally generated pollution from vehicle exhaust and smoke, which can be held in place by temperature inversions and surrounding hills or mountains (as in central California). A whitish haze is more likely sulfur dioxide, a gas produced in large quantities by industry, especially coal-fired Midwestern power plants whose emissions drift on the winds and can pollute communities throughout the Northeast—such as Lancaster.
It’s more than just ugly. Breathing bad air can trigger asthma attacks, cause coughing and wheezing, and aggravate respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Over time, it increases your risk of lung cancer. In children, exposure to air pollution is linked to poor lung development; it can even cause premature birth. But beyond its effects on breathing, air pollution has recently been shown to boost the risk of cardiovascular problems such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, abnormal heartbeat, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. In fact, recent research from Harvard and New York University concluded that particulate matter (tiny bits of soot and chemicals that are major components of air pollution) can cause premature death—but it’s more likely to be from heart trouble than from respiratory problems.
Exactly how air pollution touches the heart is a mystery, but researchers are focusing on fine particles less than 1/50 the diameter of a human hair—some so tiny that they can pass between cells and directly enter the blood. “There’s evidence that ultrafine particles actually track along nerves and get directly into the nervous system and brain,” says John Godleski, MD, associate professor in the department of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health. It’s thought that particles in the brain may cause glitches in electrical controls in the heart. Particles also irritate the lungs—“like rubbing sandpaper on a wound,” says Nolen—and can trigger inflammation or other immune responses that may narrow blood vessels and make blood stickier and more likely to clot.
What To Do
It may seem tough to get away from bad air, but there are plenty of ways you can reduce your exposure to pollutants. The first step is to realize that we’re all part of the problem because cars and energy production are two key emission sources—so driving less and using less energy makes air cleaner for everybody. “You don’t have to be a factory to produce pollution,” says Nolen. But there are also more immediate steps you can take to minimize your exposure.
Check your local forecast. Air quality changes like the weather, so consult your local newspaper or www.airnow.gov, a government website, to find out what’s happening in your region. Pollution threats are rated on a color-coded scale ranging from “good” (green) to “hazardous” (deep red). “Even if air is graded ‘moderate’ [just down from good on the scale], you should consider avoiding strenuous activity, or stay indoors if you’re part of a high-risk group, such as people with existing lung or heart disease,” says Nolen. Everyone should adjust their plans on days when air quality is rated “unhealthy.”
Avoid busy roads. Exercising or even walking near heavy traffic significantly boosts exposure to fine and ultrafine particles and worsens lung function more than walking in a quiet park, especially for people with asthma, according to a recent British study. A similar traffic study in Los Angeles found that fumes from jackrabbit starts and diesel engines contain the heaviest concentrations of pollutants. One solution while driving: Roll up the windows in heavy traffic to cut exposure to particulate matter.
Take charge of your health. People with cardiovascular risks, such as high blood pressure, poor cholesterol status, previous heart attacks, or diabetes, are at higher risk of harm from air pollution. Even your weight can make a difference, according to a recent study that showed the heavier you are, the worse your lung function becomes with exposure to ozone, a key component of smog. “The good news is that if you control these other risks, your risks from air pollution will be lower as well,” says Dr. Brook.
Use muscles, not machines. Small engines, such as those on lawn mowers and leaf blowers, produce far more pollution than the average car, says Nolen. Using a rake, a reel mower, or hand clippers cuts emissions, reduces your immediate exposure to bad air, and helps keep you in shape.
Ban bus idling. Ask schools not to let buses idle near classroom buildings, a practice that concentrates fumes where at-risk children congregate—and may also contaminate indoor air.
Don’t burn wood. Using wood as fuel for home heating and hot water is becoming more popular as fuel costs increase, but wood-burning stoves and boilers are significant sources of particulate pollution for both users and the community, says Nolen. “We all contribute to the problem,” she says, “and we all need to contribute to cleaning
the air.”
Freelancer Richard Laliberte, formerly a senior editor at Men’s Health, writes about health and parenting for many national publications.
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