Health, environment and air quality are strongly connected and related. The air we breathe is essential for health, well-being and quality of life. In the document “Air quality and health prevention”, twenty experts analyze ambient air from three angles: in the community, in the workplace and in the hospital environment
In this reflection document, promoted by the Health Sciences Foundation, specialists in infectious diseases, epidemiologists, microbiologists, pulmonologists and experts in preventive medicine, the environment, pharmacy and occupational safety and hygiene have collaborated.
Through questions to specialists, the report offers a panoramic view of the interrelationship between air quality and health care and protection.
The work, presented this week in a webinar, has been coordinated by Professor Emilio Bouza, patron of the Health Sciences Foundation, Professor of Medicine at the Complutense University and former head of the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Service of the General University Hospital Gregorio Maranon of Madrid.
Among the experts is Professor Diego Gracia, president of the Health Sciences Foundation and professor emeritus of the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense University, who offers a conclusion.
Environmental pollution and health
“Environmental pollution is a global threat that has a high impact on human health and ecosystems, with emissions and concentrations that have been progressively increasing in recent years throughout the world,” says the report.
Atmospheric pollution, highlights the document, is currently considered the most important environmental risk factor for human health, being a leading cause of premature death and disease.
For experts, in Europe, “air quality remains below the level considered optimal in many areas, despite efforts to reduce emissions and air pollutants.”
What are the effects of environmental pollution on human health?
According to the WHO, currently 90 percent of the planet’s population lives in areas where acceptable levels of environmental pollution for health protection are exceeded.
The report makes explicit due to the effect of environmental pollution premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, among which are ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, followed by deaths due to respiratory disease and lung cancer.
It is estimated that around 500,000 deaths from lung cancer and 1.6 million deaths from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) in the world can be attributed to air pollution.
Both short-term and long-term exposure to environmental pollution can lead to reduced lung function, increased individual susceptibility to respiratory infections and aggravation of bronchial asthma, it is claimed.
The document also states that exposure to environmental pollutants is associated with negative impacts on fertility, pregnancy, newborns and children.
In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified air pollution as a first-order carcinogen and in 2018 a review study was published with data from different cohorts in Europe that related air pollution to breast cancer.
Other studies point to the existence of a link between the concentrations of suspended particles and mortality from cancer of any origin, especially in the upper tract of the digestive system.
Pollution is also related to diabetes and metabolic dysfunctions and, at the behavioral level, with the risk of anxiety and depression, as well as with cognitive capacity in adults.
Especially important, the document points out, is the impact of air pollution on children’s health.
Some data
The most recent data available for Spain indicate that 15.3% of the urban population is exposed to ozone levels above the standard recommended by the EU and 3.6% to levels above the recommended standard for nitrogen dioxide. .
The report values that the exposure of these environmental contaminants has suffered a progressive decrease in the last decade thanks to the efforts of the different governments, but specifies that there is still much work to be done.
According to data from 2018, the estimate in Spain of deaths attributable to environmental pollution in one year rises to 31,600 people.
Estimates at the European level indicate an excess mortality attributed to air pollution of 790,000 deaths per year.
The latest study on “The global burden of disease”, published in The Lancet, indicates that exposure to polluted air is the fourth risk factor for mortality on a global scale, behind high blood pressure, tobacco and improper diet.
This impact also has an associated economic effect that is estimated at an expense of 4% of global GDP, according to the World Bank.
The impact that environmental contamination has on the spread and prognosis of COVID-19 has yet to be elucidated, the document points out.
Culture of respect for nature and its balance
In his final conclusion, Professor Diego Gracia points out that “the current health crisis is not a mere fortuitous event, but a consequence of the way in which human beings are preying on nature and altering its balance”.
“In the face of a predatory culture, it is necessary to promote another based on respect for nature and the maintenance of its balance. If this is not done, this pandemic will have been nothing more than a first warning, after which others will come, probably more serious”, predicts the president of the Health Sciences Foundation.
