Content of oxygen in the atmosphere over large cities and respiratory problems

Abstract

The content of oxygen in the atmospheric air over cities, as well as in living accommodations and both office and industrial premises, is the most important factor determining the health status of citizens. If both the temperature and absolute humidity of surface air are high (as happened in central European Russia in the summer of 2010), the content of atmospheric oxygen is minimum and people may experience symptoms of hypoxia. In large cities, there are additional factors that can make breathing difficult: higher air temperatures (so-called heat islands) and the presence of carbon monoxide and suspended particles in the atmosphere. This leads to an increase in the rates of morbidity and mortality in the urban population under conditions of anomalously hot weather and natural fires.