because particulates and toxic gases immediately start accumulating in the airways, making you more vulnerable to complications in the throat and the lungs.

Symptoms in the upper respiratory system include nasal congestion, sinusitis, and irritation in the throat

Accumulation of pollutants in the lungs complicates matters by damaging the lung membrane and causing airway inflammation. Studies linked this to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, allergies, and lung cancer. 

Between 1990 and 2017, air pollution was associated with 40% of COPD, 35.6% of lung infections, and 25.8% of lung cancer hospitalisations.

The majority of heart diseases are either linked to obesity or air pollution. 

CO, NOx, and PM2.5 particles damage the inner walls of blood vessels, stiffening, and narrowing them. This in turn restricts blood flow, increases blood pressure, and clotting.

Further evidence demonstrated how pollutants in the bloodstream affected the electrical and physical structure of the heart, resulting in heart arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and heart failure.

Statistics from the UK’s polluted areas directly linked 36,000 cardiac death cases to air pollution each year. While there are an extra 124 heart attacks on days of high pollution in the UK.

Ultrafine particles, UFP or PM0.1 enters the brain through the nerve endings inside the nose contaminating brain tissues and damaging neurons. This leads to cognitive abnormalities, neural death, dementia and brain cancer. 

Studies showed that exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 increased the risk of dementia by 10% and 30%, while air pollution-related stroke accounted for 50% of dementia cases by restricting the delivery of nutrients and minerals, causing premature aging of the brain.

When particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide accumulate in the bone marrow, they decrease the vitamin D necessary for bone strength and maintenance. 

Further research revealed that air pollutants even reduced the calcium levels in our bones, making them weaker and more brittle. 

A complementary study tested using data of 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries found a 4-7% annual increase in osteoporosis-related hospital admissions in areas of high air pollution near busy road networks. This annual increase reached over 20% among people above the age of 46.

Studies measuring the secretion of reproductive hormones found that women exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) had fewer healthy eggs and more problems with infertility. 

As for male fertility, studies show that PM2.5 can change sperm structure and reduce sperm count.

Fine particles and soot can leave long-term damage to your digestion. When PM2.5 particles in your blood reach your gut, it kills off good bacteria and punctures the protective membrane of your stomach walls.

This is linked to Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, bowel disease, stomach and prostate cancers.

Studies conducted in the elderly found a strong correlation between chronic exposure to PM2.5, reduced muscle mass and slower metabolisms.

The decrease of muscle mass was up to 5% in those with chronic exposure to air pollution. Due to the decrease in muscle mass, it was also found a high correlation between exposure to PM2.5 and a higher likelihood to store higher amounts of body fat.

Harmful air particles like oxides, ozone, VOC, and particulate matter can damage the skin in several ways. Large particles accumulate on the outer layer, clogging our pores to trigger acne and brown spots. Smaller particles, especially PM0.1, can delve deeper and impair the skin barrier, making it susceptible to aging, inflammation, and skin cancer.

Particulate matter (PM) that builds up in our hair follicles prevents the expression of beta-catenin, a protein responsible for hair growth. Recent studies suggest that through this mechanism and air pollution’s impact on the delivery of vitamins and minerals to hair follicles it may accelerate hair loss.

Contact with airborne particles has both a direct and indirect impact on the eyes. Not only do nitrogen oxide (No) and ground-level ozone (O3) irritate the eye, but particles in our bloodstream can reach and damage the small veins in our eyes, resulting in glaucoma and even blindness.