The air we breathe

CEBU, Philippines - It seems that the air people breathe these days is causing them to be sick. Especially in urban centers, the air is suffused with substances that wear human health down. In 2013, more than three million reportedly developed respiratory diseases due to air pollution; the number, though, has since lowered by 29 percent. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has determined vehicle emission to be the leading factor in the country's air pollution situation, contributing 69 percent. Metro Manila accounts for 90 percent of the problem. The matter topped the discussions in the recent 8th Annual Clean Air forum.

Although, based on DENR records, the current rate of air pollution has declined by about 20 percent, it is still more than the allowable level stated in the Clean Air Act. Thus, serious measures to improve air quality in the country need to be undertaken.

And the public must be involved on a personal level - cigarette smoking in public places is now banned. People may also contribute in reducing air pollution by walking or using bicycle for short distances or riding the mass transport system. Recycling home garbage is also encouraged, instead of burning it.

Air pollution has been found to aggravate the respiratory diseases like asthma, according to Eva Ocfemia, assistant director of the Environmental Management Bureau of DENR. "And it can allegedly cause pregnancy defects," she said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers air pollution as a major environment-related health threat, especially to children, whose respiratory systems are not yet fully developed. It is a risk factor for both acute and chronic respiratory disease. But while the popular concept of air pollution is generally limited to second-hand tobacco smoke and certain outdoor pollutants as risk factors for respiratory infections, indoor air pollution from solid fuels is actually one of the major contributors to the global burden of disease.

In poorly ventilated dwellings, indoor smoke can be 100 times higher than the acceptable levels for small particles. Exposure is particularly high among women and young children, who spend the most time near the cooking area of the household that uses firewood and charcoal.

There is no question that outdoor air pollution makes the population sick. The fumes emitted by motor vehicles and factories have been blamed for the poor quality of air in the environment. But other human activities like cooking and burning household garbage are equally bad for the overall air quality.

Combustion processes produce a complex mixture of pollutants that comprises of both primary emissions, such as diesel soot particles and lead, and the products of atmospheric transformation, such as ozone and sulfate particles. Indoor cooking with biomass fuels (agricultural residues, dung, straw, wood) or charcoal produces high levels of indoor smoke that contains a variety of health-damaging pollutants.

Urban outdoor air pollution is estimated to cause 1.3 million deaths worldwide per year. At the same time there is consistent evidence that exposure to indoor air pollution can lead to acute lower respiratory infections in children under age five, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer in adults. Containing air pollutions, therefore, requires concerted efforts by individuals and public authorities.

The air pollution problem is real. And so every one of us must act accordingly. The air we breathe is suffocating us.  (FREEMAN)