The environment and human respiratory system
Nikodemowicz, M.
Przeglad lekarski 65 Suppl. 2: 12-17
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0033-2240 PMID: 19621649 Document Number: 615278
The process of gas exchange that is breathing is an important element of any person's relation with the environment. What decides about our health and life are the respiratory systems responsible for the breathing process and the quality of the air we breathe. On an average through a person's life 400 millions liters of air flows which carries pollution in the form of constant gases and liquid particles. Particles of about PM-2.5 size get into the deepest structures of the respiratory system from which they are being spread into the whole organism through circulation exerting thier toxic effect on all tissues and organs. The outdoor pollution diffuses but in certain local circumstances it increases. It was so in big ecological disasters such as in 1930 in the Mozy valley in Belgium, in 1948 in the Donory region in the USA and in 1952 smog pollution in London. On an average any human being spends indoors about 60-80% of his time. The increased concentration of pollution occurs indoors and there is a possibility of exposing oneself to ETS- Environmental Tobacco Smoke. The biggest concentration of inhaled pollution takes place when smoking tobacco. Pollution of air causes diseases of the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, tumours and others. Frequent occurrence of COPD in certain areas correlates with the level of air pollution and it significantly increases in tobacco smokers. The number and frequency of bronchial asthma and the need for hospitalization depends on air pollution. Lung cancer cases were rarely described in literature before the area of industrialization and wide spread custom of tobacco smoking. Now it is the most frequently occurred cancer in the whole world. There is an interdependence of the density of population, of the number of smoked cigarettes and of density of pollution with the number lung cancer cases. It is hoped that in the future, smoking habits will be eliminated, the use of crude oil and coal will be replaced by hydroelectric and wind power stations, that there will be more use of solar batteries, geo-thermal waters and under certain circumstances use of nuclear power stations.