ASTHMA: Unhealthy Air

Asthma is a common lung disorder in which inflammation cause the bronchi to swell and narrow the airways. It causes breathing difficulties that may range from mid to life-threating. Some of the symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. Asthma can be treated with a  inhalers or a nebulizer machine. Although some people might say asthma can be genetic but it also shows that air pollution play a big part, air pollution triggers your asthma symptoms especially if you live in the city. Therefore by checking the air quality it will help to show where is the highest rate of air pollution.

It’s a proving fact that asthma can be inherited if both parent have it or maybe a close relative. Jenna Fletcher argue that genetic plays a big part whether or not a person develop the condition. In making this comment, according to a 2014 review study, genetic factors account for around 70 percent of a person’s risk of developing asthma”.( Fletcher.“ Does asthma run in the family?”. Medicalnewstoday.com, 14 February 2019) I agree with her research study because when I was younger I had asthma, my nephew who is 7 years old haves asthma too and according to my mom it ruins in her side of the family because also her mother develop asthma. Besides asthma being genetic, pollution can trigger your asthma.

When you live in a big city you might not notice but because there’s a lot of factories and cars that can make the air unhealthy. It can totally affect your health or if you a person with asthma it can trigger it. The medical review claim ozone, a gas, is one of the most common air pollutants. Medical review point is “ ozone contributes to what we typically experience as “smog” or haze.it is most common in cities where there are more cars”(Medical review.” Air Pollution “. aafa.org, October2015 )  This explain cars can effect the air but also factories anything that is experience as a smog. The medical review writes “ small particles in the air can pass through your nose or mouth and get into your lungs. Airborne particles, found in haze, smoke and airborne dust”( Medical review.” Air Pollution “.aafa.org, October2015) This shows people with asthma are at great risk from inhaling the small particles. As a result by reporting the air quality will help you know when it might trigger an asthma episode.

Air pollution remains as an environmental health threat to all New Yorkers. The reason for it because we have a lot of factories and cars, trucks & so on goes the list. According to an article I found it says we experience poor air quality due to a high level of particles. In the article it state, “exposure to PM2.5 can worsen serious health problem, including heart and lung diseases.” (1.nyc.gov) This statement agrees to my whole essay because as I said before a particles goes in your body it trigger your asthma causing breathing difficulty in your lungs. “During the summer, warm weather and strong sunshine can lead to high levels of ground-level ozone”, claims the article. (1.nyc.gov) This is a smog that can trigger coughing and throat irritation. Therefore if you or maybe anybody you know will like to limit exposures to air pollution, there a lot of media such as the news, the website air now or even sign up for alerts from notify NYC which provide daily update of the air quality.

Some people might think that maybe air pollution doesn’t trigger your asthma but they wrong because there is many proven fact that it play an important part towards your health. Also in my map shows the different air quality index level and it explain it self where the air is good or when is really bad which is the orange/red parts on the map.In the map it shows that in the night the air quality is most likely to be low because unlike the morning not so many people driving around or working. For example I notice around hunts point there is nothing but a lot of factories, a lot truck passing by to get to these factories you can notice the smog. As a result you can just imagine how unhealthy the air can be.

 

 

Sources

  1. “Does Asthma Run in The Family?” medicalnewstoday.com
  2. “Air Pollution” aafa.org
  3. 1.nyc.gov
  4. https://www.6sqft.com/maps-reveal-which-nyc-neighborhoods-have-the-highest-levels-of-air-pollution-day-versus-night/
  5. https://bazallergy.com/understand-the-basics-of-the-air-quality-index/
  6. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know