Pollutants are the primary cause of respiratory diseases and exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause significant lung damage.

Particulates and toxic gases accumulate in your airways causing nasal congestion, sinusitis and irritation of the throat.

Then they travel to your lungs, damaging lung membrane and causing airway inflammation, which is linked to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, allergies and lung cancer.

Between 1990 and 2017, air pollution was associated with 40% of COPD cases, 35,6% of lung infections and 25.8% of lung cancer.

Statistics from the UK’s most polluted areas link as many as 36,000 cardiac deaths to air pollution each year. CO, NOx and PM2.5 particles damage the inner walls of the blood vessels, causing them to stiffen and narrow. This in turn restricts blood flow and increases blood pressure and the risk of clotting.

Further evidence demonstrates how pollutants in the bloodstream can affect the electrical and physical structure of your heart, resulting in heart arrhythmia, cardiac arrest and heart failure. There are on average 124 more heart attacks on days that are considered “High Pollution Days” in the UK, than days when the pollution levels appear lower.

Ultrafine particles (UFP or PM0.1) enter your brain through nerve endings inside the nose, then travel to brain tissue and damage neurons. This contamination can lead to cognitive abnormalities, neural death, dementia and brain cancer.

Studies show that exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 can increase the risk of Dementia by 10% and 30% respectively. Air pollution related strokes account for 50% of Dementia cases. Premature ageing of the brain is also linked to air pollution as dysfunctional circulation, caused by damage to the respiratory system, restricts delivery of nutrients and minerals.

When particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) accumulate in bone marrow, they deplete your body’s supply of vitamin D, nature’s bone-strength champion.

Air pollutants can reduce the calcium levels in your bones, making them weaker and more brittle. 

Data from 700,000 medical subjects found a 4-7% annual increase in osteoporosis-related hospital admissions in areas with high pollution. This increase was as high as 20% in people aged 46 and over.

Women who are exposed to higher levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) have fewer healthy eggs. This is because anti-mullerian hormone secretion, responsible for healthy egg production, is much lower in women living in high pollution areas.

Studies show that PM2.5 actually changes the structure of sperm and reduces sperm count.

Fine particles and soot can cause long term damage to your digestion. When PM2.5 particles in your blood reach your gut, they kill-off good bacteria and puncture your stomach wall’s protective lining. This has been linked to Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, bowel disease, stomach and prostate cancers.

In a study of elderly people, a strong correlation was found between chronic exposure to PM2.5, reduced muscle mass and slowed metabolism. Muscle mass decreases by up to 5% in people who have been chronically exposed to air pollution. This decrease corresponds to  a higher propensity for fat storage.

Harmful air particles such as oxides, ozone, VOC and Particulate Matter damage your skin in several ways: larger particles gather on the skin’s outer layer, clogging pores and triggering acne and brown spots. Smaller particles can go deeper, breaking the skin’s barrier. This makes it susceptible to ageing, inflammation and in some cases cancer. Particulate matter can infiltrate your follicles and actually stop production of beta-catenin, a protein responsible for hair growth. 

When you breathe in significant amounts of nitrogen oxide (NO) and Ozone (O3) it can get into your bloodstream and travel to the small veins in your eyes, resulting in glaucoma and even blindness over time.