Running Head: AIR POLLUTION 1

Effects of Air Pollution

Jyotsna K. Girgla

Fairleigh Dickinson University

April 09, 2020

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Thesis: Although many people don’t consider air pollution to have long term effects, an

increase in air pollutants has impacted the health of people, endangered wildlife and accelerated

global warming.

In current times, environmental pollution is considered a key culprit in deteriorating

human health. The major concern associated with air pollution is its deleterious effects on organs

of the body, especially the lungs and the heart. Studies suggest that the presence of gases like

ozone and sulfur dioxide lead to breathing difficulties causing asthma. Inhaling such toxic

substances effects, the lung function drastically and harms the cells resulting in lung cancer.

(Gotschi et al., 2008). Cardiovascular diseases such as stroke can also be a result of exposure to

pollutants. A reduced heart rate is also observed in individuals breathing particulate matter over a

long period of time. Such debilitating conditions resulting from inhalation of polluted air affects

the overall health and can be fatal (Park et al.,2005). It is considered that in the absence of air

pollution, people’s health would improve and the average human lifespan would extend a few

more years.
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References

Götschi, T., Heinrich, J., Sunyer, J., & Künzli, N. (2008). Long-term effects of ambient air

pollution on lung function. Epidemiology, 19(5), 690-701.

Park, S., O’Neill, M., Vokonas, P., Sparrow, D., & Schwartz, J. (2005). Effects of air pollution

on heart rate variability: The VA normative aging study. Environmental Health

Perspectives, 113(3), 304-309.