Measures to protect the body from air pollution

Using air conditioners equipped with air filters or masks is especially a way to cope with dust and air pollution.

is a common threat to the community, taking place not only in dusty cities like Beijing (China), Mumbai (India) and Los Angeles (USA), according to the Huffington Post. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that about 6.5 million deaths are related to annual air pollution. On average of 10 people in the world, 9 people live in a place where air is not clean enough for human health.

"The situation is really serious. You should not breathe the air that can kill you," said Maria Neira, director of WHO's Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Factors in Health. know.

Impact of air pollution on the human body.(Video: BBC).

For people in many parts of the world, suffering from air pollution is inevitable. They could not move out of the city, where the dust and smoke covered the horizon. But they can take some simple measures to limit the negative effects.

Trying not to walk or exercise along the crowded streets can help you avoid the polluted air coming from the vehicles, Ed Avol, professor of clinical preventive medicine at the University. Southern California, USA, said.

Avol notes that, at the time of high levels of air pollution, the best place for health is to stay indoors with an air conditioner equipped with a filter. You should also limit your activity to avoid shortness of breath.

In the dusty days of cities like Beijing, masks are often not effective against air pollution, unless they snuggle around the nose and mouth. Cheap medical masks or temporary "barriers" such as handkerchiefs are less protective, because air pollutants can easily slip through the edge of the mask when you breathe in. You should choose the N95 mask to protect yourself because they have the contours of the nose and face. The dust filtering capacity of N95 masks is about 95%, but its disadvantages are quite expensive.

Air pollution is becoming a serious problem in China.(Photo: Decanchronicle).

According to Neira, a series of dangerous diseases include 36% lung cancer, 34% stroke and 35% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease related to air pollution. Researchers also found that air pollution increases the rate of asthma and pneumonia in children, as well as reducing the weight of babies.

WHO is pushing governments of nations to fulfill their commitments to make the air cleaner. The average annual index is acceptable according to WHO standards from 20-25 micrograms / m ³ , but now 80% of cities in the world have passed this threshold.