Smog – how does air pollution affect our health?

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We know smog better and better. We read and hear about it almost every day. Unfortunately, but also almost every day – when going to work, shopping or for a walk – we inhale it with the air. Smog looks like fog, but in fact it is a mixture of smoke from chimneys, exhaust gases and various chemical compounds harmful to our health. How does smog affect our body and what diseases can it be responsible for? Is it possible to effectively protect against smog? What to do to counteract smog?

What is smog?

Smog is a toxic and unnatural atmospheric phenomenon that results from the mixing of fog with exhaust fumes and smoke rising from chimneys. Man is mainly and primarily responsible for the occurrence of smog due to his activities that are degrading for the planet.

The etymology of the word also proves that smog is a mixture of toxic smoke and fog. Well, the word “smog” comes from the English language and was created by combining two words. The first word is smoke, and the second word is fog. For the average observer, smog really resembles a fog suspended over a city or a huge cloud that usually hovers over large urban agglomerations.

It can be concluded that smog is a combination of three main factors, i.e. man-made pollution, fog as an atmospheric phenomenon, and certain natural circumstances, i.e. atmospheric silence. Atmospheric silence is a phenomenon where no winds are present. The lack of wind, i.e. the lack of air movement, causes the contaminated fog to remain suspended over the city, at the level of the atmosphere in which man lives and functions.

Smog is a phenomenon very well known to all those who care for our planet even to a small extent. And although discussions about smog have only recently been gaining in popularity, it is the problem of air pollution was already noticeable in the XNUMXth century.

Smog over urban agglomerations most often it occurs in winter, autumn and early spring, which is a consequence of the heating season. Of course, it is not the heating of households alone that causes smog. The main cause of smog is what residents heat their homes with. Unfortunately, the wrong fuel is often used for heating, and what is worse, rubbish, tires or other substances harmful to the air.

Stands out the two main types of smog. This division concerns the place and conditions of smog production. Taking into account this classification, the following are listed:

1. Los Angeles-type smog — to photochemical smogwhich occurs in the summer months and is found in subtropical zones. Photochemical smog occurs, for example, in Santiago in Chile, Caracas in Venezuela, Athens in Greece, Beijing in China;
2. London smog — to classic smog characteristic of a temperate climate zone, which occurs over cities between November and the end of January, and sometimes until March.

The two types of smog are fundamentally different from each other. London smog is a mixture of various dusts containing sulfur, nitrogen and carbon oxides that are harmful to humans. Soot is also found in London smog. On the other hand, Los Angeles-type smog is primarily a mixture of gases, including oxides of carbon, nitrogen and hydrocarbons.

In Poland, we are dealing not only with London-type smog, but also due to traffic pollution, with Los Angeles-type smog.

How does breathing clean air affect our health and well-being? Check: Clean air is the basis for well-being. How to choose an air purifier for the whole year?

How is smog created?

Smog is the result of mixing air with pollutants and fumes that arise as a result of human activity. Pollution and exhaust fumes are generated by working factories, car traffic and, importantly, household heating systems and methods. The formation of smog is favored by burning coal, wood and other solid fuels in furnaces. For the formation of smog, certain weather conditions, climate and topography are also necessary.

More detail the causes of smog are:

1. harmful human activity – including communal and living activities as well as industry and road transport; 
2. topography – places located in valleys or lowlands are more exposed to smog. In such areas it is also more difficult to get rid of the smog cloud;
3. atmospheric factors – mainly the so-called atmospheric silence, i.e. no air movement, no wind.

The research of the National Center for Balancing and Management of Emissions shows that the main causes of smog in Poland are emissions of PM-10 and benzoaprene. Industry in Poland contributes 20% to smog, agriculture 12%, road transport 8%, and energy 7%. The main contributing factor is low emissions, which account for as much as 46% of the dust emission sources. In turn, 84% of carcinogenic benzoapiren is emitted into the atmosphere as a result of burning wood, coal and garbage as part of domestic heating. The share of industry in this emission is only 10%.

The cause of smog may also be the spread of pollution to other areas. In this case, we are dealing with the so-called the influx of smog. In this situation, cleaning one zone contaminates another.

Can smog be more dangerous for people with different blood types? Read: Smog is especially dangerous for people with blood group A, B or AB

Smog – what is low emissions?

It might seem that low emissions is a desirable phenomenon as it could mean low emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. In fact, however, it is the low emissions that is responsible for smog. Low emissions are a by-product of waste incineration. It is extremely important to be aware of what we smoke in our stoves and how it affects the air quality. The Polish Chamber of Ecology indicated that the sources of air pollution are as follows:

1. manually operated boilers – 800 mg / m ³;
2. traditional tiled stoves – 560 mg / m³;
3. low-quality coal boilers – 420 mg / m³;
4. class 5 coal boilers – 40 mg / m ³;
5. wood pellet boilers, class 6 – 20 mg / m ³;
6. gas boilers – 0,008 mg / m ³;
7. heat pumps – 0,00 mg / m³.

This list clearly shows what is the cause of air pollution in our country. Burning wood or coal in inefficient stoves releases huge amounts of harmful substances into the atmosphere. In addition, there is the fact that home stoves do not only use wood or coal, they are often wood-like products or simply rubbish.

How can coal heating affect children’s health? Check: Heating with coal stoves disturbs the growth of young children

Smog – what is its composition?

As we already know, smog is a mixture of air, gases, dust, chemicals and other pollutants. But what elements exactly create smog? Substances that particularly pollute the air and are part of smog are:

1. dusts – and above all PM-10 and PM-2,5. Dusts are not homogeneous substances. They are usually mixtures of such ingredients as dust, sand, ash, soot or pollen. Dust contains many substances that come from old tires, discs and brake pads. This means that heavy metals are often found in dust. The PM-10 dust particles are 10 microns or less in diameter. Such tiny particles easily penetrate the upper respiratory tract and lungs. In turn, PM-2,5 dust particles have a diameter of 2,5 micrometers and are most often heavy metal compounds. This means that PM-2,5 dust is much more dangerous for humans than PM-10 dust;
2. PAHs – are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, especially the already mentioned benzoapiren. These aromatic hydrocarbons are produced as a result of incomplete combustion of organic compounds, i.e. garbage, coal, wood, car fuels or plastics. Benzoapirene accumulates in the human body, and this compound has carcinogenic properties;
3. nitrogen oxides – belong to inorganic chemical compounds. In the air, we most often deal with nitrogen oxide and dioxide. Nitrogen oxides are released to the atmosphere mainly from exhaust gases from road transport;
4. sulfur oxides – also belong to inorganic chemical compounds. Sulfur oxides end up in the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels. Sulfur oxides dissolve in water, resulting in acid rain that degrades vegetation and buildings. Acid rain also corrodes metals;
5. heavy metals – mainly mercury, lead and cadmium among them. Heavy metals end up in the atmosphere as a result of fuel combustion. Mercury, lead and cadmium accumulate in the body, which can cause severe poisoning;
6. Carbon monoxide – is a compound that ends up in the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels and biomass. It’s a toxic compound. Its toxicity is that it has a greater ability to bind to hemoglobin than does oxygen. As a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, oxygen is displaced from the bloodstream;
7. ozon – is an allotropic form of oxygen. Ozone is not emitted directly into the atmosphere. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere by the reaction of other pollutants in it.

If you want to learn more about the substances that make up smog, read: Toxic relationships hover over Poland. Check what you are really breathing

Smog in Poland – where is the most smog?

Unfortunately, Polish air is not the cleanest. As it turns out, as many as 50 Polish cities are included in the ranking of the 36 most polluted European cities. In 72% of Polish cities, the average annual permissible air pollution standards are exceeded.

In which cities in Poland the situation is the most critical? Well map of air pollutants in Poland indicates that the worst air quality is in the southern part of the country, especially in the vicinity of Krakow and Katowice. Unfortunately, this map is not entirely reliable, because the level of smog depends on the weather situation, but also on the number and location of sensors performing the measurement. In many places in Poland there are still no such sensors, therefore the concentrations of dust and other pollutants are unknown there.

On the air pollution map in Poland, it is worth taking a look at such locations as:

1. smog in Warsaw – the air quality in the capital is not the best. In 2017, the average annual level of P-10 was 41 µg / m3, which exceeds the permissible standard. The concentration of PM-2,5, however, exceeded the norm more than twice. 
2. smog in Krakow – not so long ago somehow the air in Krakow was terrible. However, for several years now, measurements have shown that smog in Krakow has been systematically decreasing. This is due to an effective and concentrated anti-smog action. In many places in Krakow, the level of PM10 dust dropped even threefold;
3. smog in Katowice – as in Krakow, Katowice is constantly fighting for clean air. High levels of PM-2,5 and PM-10 were recorded in the area of ​​the Upper Silesian agglomeration. PM-10 emissions in 2018 amounted to 8006 kg / km2;
4. smog in Kielce – in the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, air pollution in 2018 was very high. In 2019, the measurement of PM-10 indicated 30,42 µg / m3;
5. smog in Wrocław – in the capital of lower Silesia, smog is quite a significant threat. Almost every day, the city issues messages about exceeding the limit value of PM-10. On the other hand, in summer, the limit value for ozone is significantly exceeded in Wrocław;
6. smog in Poznań – Poznań’s main problem is high benzoapirene emission;
7. smog in Lublin – the average annual concentration of PM-10 in Lublin is 32,53 µg / m3. On the other hand, the concentration of PM-2,5 is on the average level compared to other large cities.

List of cities in Poland with the most polluted air looks as follows:

1. Nowy Targ (1800% exceeded the norm of carcinogenic benzoapirene in the air, the same in 2018);
2. Rybnik (1300%);
3. Sucha Beskidzka (1100%);
4. Nowy Sącz (1000%);
5. Zdzieszowice (1000%);
6. Nowa Ruda (800%);
7. Olkusz (800%);
8. Tuchów (800%);
9. Zabierzów (800%);
10. Mating (800%);
11. Myszków (800%);
12. Nowa Sól (700%);
13. Oświęcim (700%);
14. Knurów (700%);
15. Pszczyna (700%).

What is worth knowing about smog in Poland? Read on: Smog in Poland

Smog – permissible concentration of pollutants in the air

The level of air quality depends on the concentration of PM-10 and PM-2 dust. The air quality is assessed on a scale whose extreme points are very good and very bad:

1. very good condition – PM-10 is kept at 0-20 µg / m3, and PM-2,5 at 0-12 µg / m3. With such indications, the air quality is very good and does not pose any health risk. When the air condition is very good, it is worth taking advantage of such circumstances and going for a walk, jogging or bike ride;
2. in good condition – PM-10 is kept at 21-60 µg / m3, and PM-2,5 at 13-36 µg / m3. With such measurement, it is considered that the level of air pollution is not high and there is no risk to health. With such indications, it is worth doing physical activity in the open air;
3. moderate condition – PM-10 is kept at 61-100 µg / m3, and PM-2,5 at 37-60 µg / m3. In this case, the air quality is acceptable, but air pollution can negatively affect health. This applies especially to pregnant women, children or the elderly and sick;
4. condition satisfactory – PM-10 is kept at 101-140 µg / m3, and PM-2,5 at 61-84 µg / m3. Air quality is considered to be sufficient, but pollution may negatively affect health. With such indications, outdoor activity should be limited;
5. bad condition – PM-10 remains at the level of 141-200 µg / m3, and PM-2,5 at the level of 85-120 µg / m3. Air quality is bad and air pollution can adversely affect pregnant women, children and the elderly. With such indications, outdoor activity should be kept to a minimum;
6. very bad condition – PM-10 is maintained at> 200 µg / m3, and PM-2,5 at> 120 µg / m3. Air quality is very bad and pollution is detrimental to health. With such indications, any outdoor activities are not recommended. It is best if possible not to leave the house at all.

Why is smog a threat to us? Read on: How does smog kill? The problem is more serious than we think

Smog and respiratory system diseases

Smog has a negative impact on our health. The respiratory system is the most exposed to the negative effects of smog. Particulate matter, which is the main component of smog, has a pathogenic effect on the upper respiratory tract, bronchi and lungs. PM-10 dust negatively affects primarily the upper respiratory tract, while PM-2,5 dust affects the lungs and bronchi.

Importantly, smog can affect the human body already in the prenatal period, which causes a less developed respiratory system in the further development of the child. This in turn means less lung capacity and more frequent respiratory infections.

The impact of smog on the respiratory system have:

1. more frequent infections and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract; 
2. bronchial asthma; 
3. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
4. lung cancer;
5. more frequent exacerbations of the course of existing chronic diseases of the respiratory system;
6. more frequent hospitalizations and the associated increase in mortality.

If you want to know more about the most common respiratory diseases in children, read on: Diseases of the respiratory system that most often affect children

Smog and cardiovascular diseases

Breathing polluted air also negatively affects the functioning of the circulatory system, i.e. the cardiovascular system.

If we breathe air with a high concentration of Pm-2,5, PM-10, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and ozone for a long time, we may be at risk of the following diseases and ailments:

1. ischemic stroke;
2. peripheral atherosclerosis;
3. heart failure;
4. ischemic heart disease;
5. hypertension;
6. Heart arythmia;
7. myocardial infarction;
8. thromboembolic complications;
9. increase in mortality due to cardiovascular failure.

Which cardiovascular diseases are most often diagnosed? Check: The 10 most common diseases of the circulatory system

Smog and diseases of the nervous system

Smog significantly affects the functioning of the nervous system. Long-term inhalation of polluted air may increase the risk of the following ailments and diseases:

1. Alzheimer’s disease;
2. Parkinson’s disease;
3. damage to neurons and cerebral vessels

In 2016, it was proved and announced for the first time that air pollutants can accumulate in the human brain, possibly contributing to the emergence and development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

How is the nervous system built? Check: Nervous system – structure and ailments

Smog and diseases of the reproductive system

Smog also affects the fertility of women and men. Long-term exposure to highly polluted air can damage sperm and lower testosterone levels. In turn, in women, even short-term inhalation of polluted air reduces the chance of success of the in vitro procedure. Moreover, smog negatively affects the course of pregnancy and the development of the fetus.

Studies have shown that women who live in places with more polluted air are at risk of premature birth. In addition, it has been proven that babies can be born with a smaller head circumference and a lower birth weight. In addition, these studies showed increased infant mortality in the 1-year-old group.

What is worth knowing about female fertility? Check: How does female fertility change over the years? Doctor: There is a point where he is clearly falling

Smog and depression

Can smog aggravate symptoms of depression? According to scientists, there is more and more evidence that may indicate that smog also affects our psyche, especially happiness.

Epidemiological studies have shown that children who grew up in smog-ridden cities scored significantly worse on intelligence tests. Additionally, they had trouble concentrating, paying attention or remembering. This means that smog can significantly disrupt cognitive processes.

In addition, children who grow up in places with polluted air show a higher level of anxiety and are more likely to be diagnosed with depressive behavior.

On the other hand, in older people who spent a significant part of their lives in cities with smog, an acceleration of the aging process of the nervous system was observed. This, in turn, significantly reduces their mental performance and impairs their cognitive abilities.

Another study by British scientists from the University of York showed that with increasing nitrogen dioxide pollution, life satisfaction and sense of happiness decrease.

What, apart from smog, affects our mental health? Check: Sanity

Smog – can you protect yourself against it?

It is difficult to protect yourself from smog, because tiny particles of pollution are invisible to us and penetrate the body unnoticed and avalanche. In addition, you should protect yourself against smog not only in the open air, but also at home or at work, because polluted air penetrates into the interior of the rooms where we stay just as easily as it does into the body. In order to effectively fight smog it is necessary to:

1. avoid smog – is the simplest solution. Avoiding smog is not easy. However, it is worth remembering that in each voivodeship there is a smog sensor, so you can monitor the air quality in every part of Poland. Air quality measurement is performed at many points and can be checked online on the air pollution map
2. wear anti-smog masks – ordinary cloth masks or covering the mouth and nose with a shawl or chimney are not enough. Anti-smog masks must be equipped with a quality HEPA filter. The best masks support quick air purification and remove excess CO2 and water vapor;
3. use air purifiers – air purifiers should also be equipped with HEPA filters, but also with an air ionizer and a humidifier.
4. follow an “anti-smog” diet – This is not a joke! Diet can largely help minimize the effects of smog on our body. The “anti-smog” diet is composed of ingredients rich in omega-3 acids, that is: fish oils, nuts, almonds, butter, pumpkin seeds or rapeseed oil. Products that contain large amounts of vitamin B6 are also valuable, such as buckwheat, chicken, red pepper or potatoes. It is also worth reaching for products with vitamin B12, i.e. meat, fish, milk, eggs and cheese. The “anti-smog” diet must not lack vitamin C. Therefore, the menu should include black currant, parsley and Brussels sprouts;
5. grow and care for plants – plants, as a result of photosynthesis, take CO2 from the air, at the same time giving back oxygen. Moreover, they neutralize sulfur dioxide and heavy metals. Therefore, it is worth having as many plants as possible in your surroundings and ensuring that the city space is full of trees, lawns, gardens and green roofs.

More tips on how to deal with the negative impact of smog can be found here: How to protect yourself from smog? Practical advice

Consequences of smog – can diseases be prevented?

It is difficult to clearly answer how to prevent diseases that are caused by long exposure to polluted air. If contact with smog is one-time and short-term, masks that reduce the amount of harmful substances entering the lungs are probably enough.

People who live in urban agglomerations or cities, where suspended dust measurements are usually very high, are in a much worse situation. In this case, use all possible measures to protect us from the effects of inhaling harmful substances. Moreover, such persons are recommended to undergo frequent or at least regular preventive examinations. Especially when you notice unusual symptoms that could herald a disease. Above all, cancer prevention is very important.

What can be done to counteract smog? Check: Everyone can do something for clean air

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