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Air Pollution is the New Tobacco: WHO

by Iswarya on Oct 29 2018 4:47 PM

Air Pollution is the New Tobacco: WHO
Air pollution is termed as the 'new tobacco' as a simple act of breathing kills 7 million people a year and can harm billions more, warned the World Health Organisation.
Over 90 percent of the world's population suffer from toxic air pollution which impacts people's health drastically, especially children. 

Exposure of pollution in children lowers lung functional capacity and are more susceptible to infections, and the lethal effects of air pollutants as adults leads to more exacerbations of chronic lung conditions, like asthma and cystic fibrosis, and increased hospitalizations.

Apart from respiratory diseases, pollution causes deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke, lung infections, and bronchus, trachea and lung cancers. Hence, it is deemed as a silent public health emergency.

Regulations that lower pollution and decrease exposure to air toxins can counter some ill effects.

Source-Medindia


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