Long-term health effects from air pollution include heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people’s nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects.

Pollution is strongly linked to poverty. Children face the highest risks and are the most vulnerable victims of pollution because small exposures to chemicals in utero and early childhood can result in lifelong disease, disability, premature death, as well as reduced learning and earning potential.

Poor air quality can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause shortness of breath, aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, and affect the heart and cardiovascular system. Breathing polluted air for long periods of time can cause more serious problems.

Low-income neighborhoods also are more likely to be positioned near industrial areas and major road thoroughfares, both of which produce a lot of air pollution. They also are more likely to have an underinvestment in transit compared to high-income areas.

Overall, the review found that poorer communities tend to be exposed to higher concentrations of air pollution, compared to richer communities. “In the United States, we often focus on race when looking at air pollution inequities,” said lead author Anjum Hajat, Ph.

The groups most affected by air pollution are people of color, elderly residents, children with uncontrolled asthma, and people living in poverty. Vulnerable populations may experience more health effects because these populations already have higher rates of heart and lung conditions.

Air pollution is an invisible killer. No level of air pollution is safe to breathe, and anyone can be at risk from its harmful health effects. While very high concentrations can lead to visible haze and smog, harmful air pollution can be present even when the sky is blue.

On Days when High Particle Levels are Expected, Take these Extra Steps to Reduce Pollution:

1. Reduce the number of trips you take in your car.
2. Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use.
3. Avoid burning leaves, trash, and other materials.
4. Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

Air pollution can damage crops and trees in a variety of ways. Ground-level ozone can lead to reductions in agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased plant susceptibility to disease, pests and other environmental stresses (such as harsh weather).

They can increase the risk of heart and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. Ozone is a major factor in causing asthma (or making it worse), and nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide can also cause asthma, bronchial symptoms, lung inflammation and reduced lung function.

Particulates are the most harmful form of air pollution due to their ability to penetrate deep into the lungs, blood streams and brain, causing health problems including heart attacks, respiratory disease, and premature death.

Particulate matter particles can either originate from antropogenic (caused by humans) or from natural sources. Volcanic eruptions, soil erosion, sea salt or the import of desert sand are all examples of possible sources of particulate matter.

Particulates (eg particulate carbon from diesel engines, dust from roads and industry) can cause health problems for humans because it irritates the lining of the lungs, eg it can make asthma worse.

These gases and particles (known as pollutants) tend to come from man-made sources, including the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, petrol or diesel, but can also come from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires.

The combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles is a major cause of air pollution. These are generally used in power plants, manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste incinerators, as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices.

The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. EPA tracks total U.S. emissions by publishing the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.