Air Pollution Health Facts (Background)

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Components of Air pollution
SMOG inc. Ozone Causes respiratory discomfort and inflames lungs. Formed in sunlight from VOC and NO2.
Sulphur dioxide Lung irritant formed from high sulphur fuels and smelting. - decreasing
Carbon monoxide Asphyxiant formed by incomplete combustion in petrol engines. - decreasing
Nitrogen dioxide Irritates lungs and increases asthma incidence.
Particulate matter Complex mixture. Large particles formed by mechanical processes, small particles by combustion. Diesel exhaust carcinogenic.
Vol. Organic compounds Carcinogenic. Evaporation and incomplete combustion of petroleum fuels.
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Components of Vehicle pollution

• Carbon monoxide - now 70 less than 20 years ago,
  but still a problem.
• Lead - no longer an air pollution problem
• Nitrogen dioxide - produced in all motor engines
  and increasing as engines operate at higher
  temperatures.
• Fine particles - Produced in all diesel engines.
  Total mass decreasing but numbers increasing as
  particles produced become finer (and more
  harmful).
• Volatile organic matter - probably increasing.
  Includes known carcinogens such as benzene.
  Involved in smog formation with nitrogen dioxide
  and sunlight.

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The NSW EPA records particles in two ways

• PM10 the mass of particles less than 10µ
  (micrometers) in diameter in a cubic meter of
  air.
• National air quality goals (NEPM) state that PM10
  levels should not exceed 50µg/m3 averaged over 24
  hours more than 5 times in a year.
• PM2.5 the mass of particles less than 2.5µ in
  diameter in a cubic meter of air.

Both of these measures are dominated by larger,
heavier particles and give little information
about potential health impacts
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IMPACT OF PARTICULATE POLLUTION

• Medical evidence correlates increases in PM10
  with widespread health impacts, with no safe
  threshold 'A 10µg/m3 increase in PM10 results in
  a 1 increase in hospital admissions.
• BUT there was no marked increase in illness in
  Sydney as a result of the bush fires in 2003 when
  PM10 levels exceeded 200µg/m3.
• It is the vehicle pollution contribution,
  including smog and ultra-fine particles, which
  is the real problem in cities.
• ( '6 cities study' by Dockery, D.W. Pope,
  C.A., in 1993. )

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Particles come in many sizes!
PARTICLE size in micrometers 10µ 2.5µ 1.0µ 1.0µ 0.1µ 0.1µ 0.01µ
PARTICLE size in micrometers PM10 PM10 PM10 PM10 PM10 PM10 PM10
PARTICLE size in micrometers PM2.5 PM2.5 PM2.5 PM2.5 PM2.5 PM2.5
Is the same size as Red blood cell Fungal spore Bacteria Bacteria Mumps Virus Mumps Virus
Compare with grapefruit golf ball cherry cherry wheat seed wheat seed sand grain
Number for equal mass 1 64 103 (1000) 103 (1000) 106 (1000000) 106 (1000000) 109 (1000000000)
Surface area for equal mass 1 4 10 10 100 100 1000
Classification Coarse Coarse Fine Fine Fine Nano particle Nano particle
Sources From mechanical sources like dust. From mechanical sources like dust. From mechanical sources like dust. From combustion and vehicle exhaust From combustion and vehicle exhaust From combustion and vehicle exhaust From combustion and vehicle exhaust
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SIZE MATTERS !!

• Particles do not have to be toxic
• to cause harm.
• Titanium dioxide is not toxic.
• Inhaled titanium dioxide particles 0.2 µ in
  diameter cause little lung or other damage
  HOWEVER the same titanium dioxide, but in the
  form of 0.02 µ particles, causes severe
  inflammation in the lung.
• Most diesel particles are less than 0.2 µ in
  diameter.

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How air pollution affects the body
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Lung compromised by ultra-fine particles
Ultra-fine particles can penetrate lung cells.
Healthy lung removing particles from airways
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Impact of ambient air pollution on birth weight
in Sydney, Australia. T Mannes, B Jalaludin, G
Morgan, D Lincoln, V Sheppeard, S Corbett (NSW
Health) Occup Environ Med. 200562524530
Exposure of mothers to the common pollutants
carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate
matter were shown to have had a statistically
significant adverse effect on birth weight, even
though pollution levels were generally low.
Exposure to Traffic and the Onset of Myocardial
InfarctionAnnette Peters, Ph.D., et al. New Engl
J Med 35117 October 21, 2004
Exposure to traffic leads to a 3 fold increase in
the onset of myocardial infarctions within one
hour afterward. The time the subjects spent in
cars, on public transportation, or on motorcycles
or bicycles was consistently linked with an
increase in the risk of myocardial infarction.
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Simplified diagram from Triggering Myocardial
Infarction by Peter Stone N Engl J Med 35117
Oct 21 2004
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Inhalation of Fine Particulate Air Pollution and
Ozone Causes Acute Arterial Vasoconstriction in
Healthy Adults. Brook RD, et al. Circulation
200210515346.
Short-term inhalation (2 hrs) of fine particulate
air pollution and ozone by healthy non-smoking
adults (av age 35), at concentrations that occur
in the urban environment, causes acute coronary
artery vasoconstriction.
The Effect of Air Pollution on Lung Development
from 10 to 18 Years of Age W. James Gauderman, et
al. N Engl J Med 20043511057-67.
Current levels of air pollution have chronic,
adverse effects on lung development in children
from the age of 10 to 18 years, leading to
clinically significant deficits in attained FEV1
(forced expiratory volume) as children reach
adulthood.
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Recent medical research into pollution impacts
Impact of Changes in Transportation and Commuting
Behaviors During the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
in Atlanta on Air Quality and Childhood Asthma.
Michael S. Friedman, MD et al. (JAMA
2001285897-905)
Ozone was reduced by 28, PM10 by 16 and NO2 by
7. Over the same period, childhood asthma
requiring hospitalisation was reduced by 42, but
non-asthma hospitalisations were basically
unchanged.
Outdoor air pollution and childrens respiratory
symptoms in the steel cities of New South Wales.
Lewis,P.R.,Hensley,M.J. et al 1998. MJA.169
pp459-463.
Significant adverse health outcomes in 8 to 10
year old children, related to PM10 below NEPM
goals. These results provide evidence of health
effects at lower than expected levels of outdoor
air pollution in the Australian setting.(Hunter
valley)
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Impacts of particle pollution on children
Increased rates asthma and chest infection.
Significantly reduced lung development

• Children
• breathe more per unit body weight than adults.
• have smaller airways and lungs.
• Have different rates of toxification and
  detoxification.
• Have immature host defence mechanisms.
• Have increased ventilation with play and exercise.

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Air pollution is a preventable cause of disease,
illness and death. Only the political will is
required to fix the problem
A concerted action to reduce pollution in Tokyo
changed that city from being one of the most
polluted in the world. In 1975, PM10 levels were
higher than 100µg/ m3 In 1998, PM10 levels were
less than 45 µg/ m3 The savings in health costs
and lost wages are estimated to be more than A
45.7 billion pa A.S. Voorhees - J. Risk Research
Vol. 8, 311-329 (June, 2005)
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The American Lung Association web site
www.lungusa.org has up to date information on the
health impacts of air pollution

• The motto of the Association is When you cant
  breathe- nothing else matters!

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