Environmental Protection of Healthy Living from the Aspect of Air Pollution (original) (raw)

2023, Biomedical Journal of Scientific and Technical Research

Air pollution is the result of emissions of polluting substances from various sources. Various industrial operations and energy production from fossil fuels represent the most important stationary sources. The largest amounts of particulate matter and sulfur oxides originate from them. Mobile sources of pollution in underdeveloped countries still represent a small part of the total pollution, considering the relatively underdeveloped traffic. In developed countries, however, these sources are significant, so the quantities exceed stationary sources of pollutants. Incomplete combustion of fuel produces considerable amounts of carbon monoxide. At the same time, at the high temperature of the car engine, oxygen reacts with otherwise inert nitrogen, whereby a number of nitrogen oxides are formed, the most important of which to observe are NO and NO 2 due to their role in subsequent reactions in the atmosphere and the creation of PM 2.5 to PM 10. Namely, under the influence of sunlight, released NOx and hydrocarbons, together with other pollutants from gasoline, react with each other, creating a series of dangerous products and floating particles. Exposure to highly polluted air can cause a number of consequences. The plant reacts first, as the most sensitive part of the plant-animal-human chain, while in highly polluted environments the effects are obvious for all links of the chain. This increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart attack, stroke and lung cancer. A link between short-term and long-term exposure to polluted air and heart disease has been established. People who are already sick are more susceptible, as are children, the elderly and the poor [1-5]. Harmful pollutants, which are closely related to increased mortality, are fine floating particles PM 2.5 , which can penetrate deep into the lung passages. Harmful effects can occur both after short-term (hours, days) and long-term (months, years) exposure to polluted air. The various effects of exposure to particulate and other air pollution were analyzed, and a proposal was made to the management of all interested parties on how, through their activities and decisions, to reduce emissions into the air.