1. Affects all organisms as they depend on the atmosphere for respiration.
2. Causes irritation in the throat, nose, lungs and eyes.
3. It causes breathing problems and aggravates existing health conditions such as emphysema and asthma.
4. Contaminated air reduces the body’s defense mechanism and decreases the body’s capacity to fight other infections in the respiratory system.
5. Frequent exposure to polluted air increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Breathing air that is filled with fine particulate matter can induce hardening of the arteries, triggering cardiac arrhythmia or even a heart attack.
6. People who exercise outdoors can sometimes be susceptible to adverse effects of air pollution because it involves deeper and faster breathing. Hence it is advisable to walk or jog in the mornings in places with ample tree cover.
7. Gas leaks can be lethal or affect the quality of air in the affected area.
8. CO in the atmosphere interferes with O2 transport since haemoglobin has greater affinity. for carbon monoxide. At low concentration it causes headache and blurred vision. In higher concentration, it can lead to coma and death.
