For air to be of good quality, it is essential to avoid (or combat, if necessary), for example, pollution.
Air quality is an issue that for decades has forced governments, health experts, representatives of organizations and entities that are linked to social well-being and many common people to put into action and alert.
It is essential, both individually and collectively, to adopt measures that contribute to reducing air pollution as much as possible since there are multiple factors that influence the type of air that living beings end up breathing.
Next, with the purpose of providing data of interest about the topic mentioned in the title of this article, we will focus on how air is measured and monitored , how its quality impacts the health of human beings and the environment. environment and what the pollutants are and what particularities they have, among other issues.
Factors that influence air quality
Many factors influence air quality . Industrial activities, household energy consumption and vehicle emissions are some of the sources of pollution .
The use of fossil fuels , tiny suspended particles (PM2.5 and PM10) , smoke from forest fires and volcanic gases also impact what kind of air remains in each environment.
Particles and gases included in the group of short-lived climate pollutants also remain in the atmosphere for a period ranging from a handful of years to a decade and deepen global warming , which is why it is necessary to confront them. and fight them.
Modify harmful habits that harm the planet; bet on sustainability , implement recycling actions and take advantage of the benefits of clean technologies to be able to individually reduce the carbon footprint ; and the preservation of green spaces are very useful to minimize or reverse the effects of air pollution .
Using fossil fuels, vehicle emissions and domestic energy consumption cause air pollution.
Measurement and standards
When measuring the air quality of a certain region, the level of total suspended particles , nitrogen dioxide (NO2) , ozone (O3) , sulfur monoxide (SO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is usually evaluated. ) .
The importance of the Air Quality Index (AQI) cannot be overlooked, since when calculating it, the degree of contamination or purity of the analyzed air is reported. Those who work based on this data and know how to establish or interpret it detail that the scale starts at the number zero and goes up to five hundred. A result above one hundred is understood as barely healthy, while the safest air falls into the category of 50 or less.
It is necessary that adequate instruments and equipment be available at the international level to collect information on air quality , and it is also recommended that the number of monitoring stations and measurements by different States be increased.
Likewise, in each nation the criteria and provisions would have to be adjusted to meet the strict air quality standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) . The objective of the organization is to achieve the reduction of the negative impacts that contaminated air has in economic matters and on the health of individuals.
Poor air quality threatens social well-being because it increases the risk of suffering from numerous diseases, especially pathologies linked to the respiratory system.
How air quality impacts the environment and the population
Efforts aimed at achieving maximum air quality are of utmost importance because the health status of the members of a community, the conservation of specimens of fauna and flora , and the economic reality of a country largely depend on it.
To protect biodiversity by preventing certain species from becoming extinct and in order to maintain balance within ecosystems , for example, lowering air pollution levels is essential.
It also cannot be ignored that there are numerous respiratory health pathologies that have a close link with contaminated air . When lung development is conditioned or affected, the chances of suffering respiratory infections , asthma attacks or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increase. Bronchial problems, allergies, cardiovascular diseases and even some types of cancer are even associated with prolonged exposure to poor or low air quality .
This problem also threatens labor productivity, forces us to invest more in medical checks and ruins land, crops and habitats, thus causing enormous economic losses .
The air, worldwide
Thanks to the news that travels around the world through the Internet, it is possible to keep up to date with the situation of each surface or town in terms of air quality .
In June 2023 , to describe a specific case, it was reported that in the Canadian city of Toronto , as a result of uncontrollable forest fires , the air quality was considered "high risk" . A recognizable smell of smoke and even an orange haze, as a result of those fires that were spreading, reached the American town of New York .
In the populated Jakarta ( Indonesia ), meanwhile, the records are not usually encouraging because, at least until a few months ago, it was identified as the second most polluted city on the planet, having very poor and dangerous air quality .