Air pollution interesting facts

Air pollution is caused by an introduction of different air pollutants that are able to not only cause harm to our environment but also to our health.

Harvard School of Public Health has recently come up with the data that approximately 4 percent of all deaths in the United States can be attributed to air pollution.

According to the data from the World Health Organization 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly connected with air pollution, with 1.5 million of these deaths being the result of indoor air pollution.

The main cause of indoor air pollution is usually the lack of proper ventilation inside your home or office. The lack of air circulation enables indoor air pollutants to accumulate and cause damage to your health.

Some studies have showed that on global level more deaths are attributable to air pollution than to automobile accidents.

The worst single incident of air pollution in the United States of America happened in Donora, Pennsylvania in year 1948, when 20 people died and over 7,000 were injured.

London's "Great Smog" was one of the worst air pollution incidents in history, it caused deaths of more than 4,000 died in just six days, and 8,000 more people died within the next couple of months.

Children, elderly people, and people who suffer from respiratory diseases are particularly vulnerable to air pollution.

The biggest air polluter in EU is road transport.

U.S. Clean Air Act had significant success in curbing air pollution. Thanks to the Clean Air Act in the period between 1970 and 2006 U.S. citizens enjoyed these significant reductions in annual air pollution emissions:

* carbon monoxide emissions fell from 197 million tons to 89 million tons
* nitrogen oxide emissions fell from 27 million tons to 19 million tons
* sulfur dioxide emissions fell from 31 million tons to 15 million tons
* particulate emissions fell by 80%
* lead emissions fell by more than 98%

Los Angeles, California is U.S. most polluted city by ozone.

Short-term effects of air pollution on human health are usually irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia while long-term effects include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, damage to the brain, nerves, liver, etc.