“However, with all the tonnes of evidence we are collecting now, politicians will not be able to say we didn’t know.” “We have megacities where all the citizens are breathing toxic air,” she said. People will say that in London or other places it was worse 100 years ago, but now we are talking about an incredible number of people exposed for a long time.” “We are probably the first generation in history to be exposed to such a high level of pollution. “We need to work on these factors in a very dramatic way,” said Neira. Most air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, heat homes and power transport. “The best way to reduce exposure is to control it at its source,” said Schraufnagel. But they add: “The good news is that the problem of air pollution can be addressed.” “Harmful effects occur even at levels below air quality standards previously considered to be safe,” warn the review scientists, who between them represent every continent. However, Schraufnagel said particularly compelling evidence comes from three types of study: where air pollution and illness change in tandem over time, where the “dose” of pollution correlates with levels of disease and from animal studies.įor example, government action to slash pollution before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 led to a rise in birth weights in the city. Researchers cannot experiment on people and so by necessity many studies show significant associations between poor air quality and disease, but cannot prove cause and effect. “They need to educate their patients and then they should speak up” in favour of action. But it affects their organs too and they had better pay attention,” he said. “Some have no idea air pollution affects the organs they specialise in. Schraufnagel is concerned that many doctors are unaware of this wide-ranging damage associated with air pollution. She said she expected even more impacts of air pollution to be shown by future research: “Issues like Parkinson’s or autism, for which there is some evidence but maybe not the very strong linkages, that evidence is coming now.” There are more than 70,000 scientific papers to demonstrate that air pollution is affecting our health.” The review represents “very strong science”, said Dr Maria Neira, WHO director of public and environmental health: “It adds to the very heavy evidence we have already. If something is missing it is probably because there was no research yet.” Prof Dean Schraufnagel, at the University of Illinois at Chicago and who led the reviews, said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if almost every organ was affected. “Ultrafine particles pass through the, are readily picked up by cells, and carried via the bloodstream to expose virtually all cells in the body.” “Air pollution can harm acutely, as well as chronically, potentially affecting every organ in the body,” conclude the scientists from the Forum of International Respiratory Societies in the two review papers, published in the journal Chest. New analysis indicates 8.8m early deaths each year – double earlier estimates – making air pollution a bigger killer than tobacco smoking.īut the impact of different pollutants on many ailments remains to be established, suggesting well-known heart and lung damage is only “ the tip of the iceberg”. The systemic damage is the result of pollutants causing inflammation that then floods through the body and ultrafine particles being carried around the body by the bloodstream.Īir pollution is a “ public health emergency”, according to the World Health Organization, with more than 90% of the global population enduring toxic outdoor air. Fertility, foetuses and children are also affected by toxic air, the review found. The research shows head-to-toe harm, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damaged skin. Air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body, according to a comprehensive new global review.
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