The Impact Of Air Pollution On Human Health

Concetta Scimone, Luigi Donato, Simona Alibrand, Rosalia D’Angelo, Antonina Sidoti

Abstract

Based on the definition of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (https://www.niehs.nih.gov/), “air pollution” is a mixture of natural and man-made substances in the air we breathe. It is usually divided in two different classes: outdoor and indoor. The outdoor air pollution refers to the presence of contaminants out of the home environment, while the indoor one indicate the pollutants usually present within home [1]. The outdoor air pollutants include substances as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, fine particles and several molecules produced by the burning of fossil fuels and by the car exhaust gases. However, another contaminant highly represented in industrialized area is the ozone that seems to have severe irritant effects on epithelial tissues [2]. Indoor air pollutants, instead, comprise chlorinated volatile molecules and formaldehyde, usually contained in shampoos [3].

The presence of excessive levels of pollutants in specific geographic areas highlighted the need to continuously monitor the air and to regulate the emissions. This monitoring activity led to identify very large contaminated areas that are now called “Siti di Interesse Nazionale” (SIN) and that are subject to remediation intervention (http://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/temi/siti-contaminati/siti-di-interesse-nazionale-sin). Sicily counts more territories classified as SIN and, among these, the most important are Gela (CL), Priolo (SR), Biancavilla (CT), Milazzo (ME) and Termini Imerese (PA). Epidemiological studies showed as in these areas there is a higher incidence of specific diseases, if compared with other regions [4]. In particular, several cases of lung and pancreatic cancer as well as neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases were diagnosed. Moreover, a higher rate of infertility and of congenital malformations were reported.

The mechanisms by which VOC and particulate matter cause this severe damage are partly known. In particular they act by two different ways. About the DNA, they can induce permanent DNA damage or can modify the normal gene expression. However, often pathological conditions result from continuous inflammatory stimuli that these molecules trigger on the respiratory epithelial cells, when they are inhaled.

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