EFFECTS OF OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION ON RESPIRATORY HEALTH AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In the words of the World Health Organization, air pollution is dened as contamination of the domestic or outdoor environment by chemical, physical, or biological pollutants that have an adverse effect on the natural components of the atmosphere. The consequence could be adverse health effects that could be sub-clinical or overt. Despite these, little is known about the health impact of urban air pollution at the cellular and sub-cellular levels among people residing in the Indian mega cities. Against this background, this literature review is being conducted in order to identify ways for reducing environmental pollution and the effects on the body. METHODS:An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out in PubMed, Medline, World Health Organization website and Google Scholar search engines. Relevant documents, reports, research articles focusing on the air pollution and its impact on health published in the period 1992 to 2021 were included in the review. A total of 49 articles on our topic were included in this study. RESULTS: In this review article we discussed about the distribution and multiple determinants of respiratory diseases caused by the air pollutants, its sources and pathogenesis of the diseases. CONCLUSION: People today are constantly exposed to outdoor air pollution causing increased respiratory morbidity and mortality. The continuous health education on air pollution and personal protective measures at regular intervals is mandatory to improve respiratory health. The impact of adherence, change in behaviour and lifestyle modication helps in signicantly reducing the exposure, symptoms and respiratory health among people.