Sometimes it’s no surprise when you get sick. when everyone around you sniffling and hacking, you had better brace yourself for a cold. Family members, friends, colleagues and other people aren’t always to blame, though. You might not be feeling so well at the same time pollution levels are up—and that may not just be a coincidence.
A recent study found a correlation between days with high carbon monoxide levels and student absences from Texas schools. One in four children who live in North Texas has asthma, which can be caused and aggravated by air pollution. In addition to asthma and allergies, air pollution can cause headaches, irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and nausea. Another research study found that air pollution doubled the risk of pneumonia in the elderly. Long-term health effects include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, and even damage to parts of the body we don’t associate with breathing, such as the heart, brain, nerves, liver and kidneys.
We don’t usually think of water pollution as a major health issue in the United States and other developed countries. While we think of our drinking water as clean, water pollution can also affect us through the foods we eat. Fish and shellfish are exposed to heavy metals when toxic waste is filtered into their water. Since plant sources of food also rely on water, they, too, can become contaminated and pass on heavy metals to human and animal consumers. Heavy metals in water have been linked to birth defects and developmental problems in children, fertility problems and cancer.
Electricity’s great—without it, you wouldn’t be reading this!—but light pollution has become an increasing concern. Artificial light can disrupt sleep patterns, and a lack of sleep can cause both immediate and long-term health problems. Two studies in Israel found a link between outdoor artificial light at night and breast cancer. The results are shocking: women who lived in neighborhoods with the brightest outdoor lighting—bright enough to read a book outside at midnight--were 73 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than women who lived in areas with the least outdoor artificial lighting. More research still needs to be done to learn more about the cancer-light pollution connection, and what other health issues light pollution might cause.
Like light pollution, the serious effects of noise pollution are often overlooked. Noise pollution can cause hearing impairment and sleep problems, and aggravate mental illnesses. It can also cause cardiovascular problems such as increases in blood pressure and heart rate.
It’s clear that our health is linked to the environment’s health. In addition to taking steps to reduce your exposure to various forms of pollution, help the environment stay clean and strong!
Source: BecauseAction.com
