A dangerous, smoky haze caused by Western wildfires blanketed most of the United States in the summer of 2021, while storms wreaked havoc in the southern and eastern United States. Air quality websites like AirNow have warned of dangerous circumstances in the United States. Staying indoors is advised due to forest fires 3,000 miles away on the West Coast.
Arnold R. Eiser is a scientist and author who researches the relationship between environmental influences and the development of neurological illnesses, which is the topic of his most recent book. His findings add to a growing body of data that increasingly frequent natural catastrophes increase human exposure to neurotoxins.
Link Between Air Pollutants and Various Health Conditions
Many experts have discovered linkages between many types of air pollution, including forest fire smoke, and an increased risk and incidence of adverse health impacts, such as mental diseases.
Related Article: Scientists Claim that Prolonged Exposure to Air Pollution May Worsen Depression
Toxic Smoke
The smoke from a wildfire is made up of a variety of toxic chemical compounds. Fires are raging throughout the globe, from California to Greece and Australia, are releasing harmful particulate matter into the sky, including neurotoxic heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and manganese nanoparticles. These chemicals contribute to the pollution already present in the environment from factories, power plants, trucks, vehicles, and other sources.
Particles smaller than 2.5 microns-also known as PM 2.5-pose the greatest threat to human health (for context, the width of a human hair is typically 50 to 70 microns). This is partly due to the ease with which microscopic particles may be inhaled; once inhaled, they enter the circulation and circulate widely throughout the body. They may inflame the brain's protective cells, the microglial cells, inflicting injury to neurons rather than protecting them. According to studies, these microscopic particles may cause harm to neurons or brain cells by causing inflammation. Inflammation in the brain can cause dementia and Parkinson's disease, a movement illness that affects adults.
Air Pollution Risking Pregnancy
Furthermore, air pollution exposure during pregnancy and early childhood has been related to an elevated incidence of autism spectrum disease in children. According to research, air pollution exposure during these critical periods, notably during the third trimester of pregnancy and the first few months of life, has been linked to impaired brain development.
The greatest approaches to reducing environmental neurotoxins' hazards are education, increased knowledge of environmental health problems, and public action.
Detecting Pollutant Sources
People can learn to detect harmful sources and avoid bringing their dogs near them if they learn to recognize them. Consumers might advocate for environmental monitoring of food and water supplies.
Governmental Involvements
The US Environmental Protection Agency is presently reviewing particulate matter air quality guidelines. According to a recent EPA inspector general report, a comprehensive plan for controlling dangerous air pollution is needed.
Climate Awareness
Because growing neurotoxins may result from climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving environmental stewardship is critical to human health. This will need concerted international and domestic initiatives and a broad spectrum of government interventions across the world. However, all of these initiatives must begin with a better knowledge of the magnitude of the problem-which should be a universal, bipartisan concern.
Also Read: How Climate Misinformation Through Social Media Worsens the Battle Against Climate Change
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