Results of Asthma Related Problems Due to Air Pollution - Essay Example

These allergens are mostly contained in the atmospheric air. The disease has no cure meaning that it can only be reduced by preventing the symptoms and reducing asthma attacks (Tabaku et al. 10). Therefore, studying and understanding how air causes asthma is essential because it will help in finding solutions to the illness. Issues of Concern One of the issues that cause concern for the disease is the fact that it is prevalent in a high population in the society. Twenty million people have been treated with asthma at least once in their life time, in America while in China 4% of the population suffers from the disease.

The Center for Disease Control argues that asthma mostly affects children, for example, in America, 14million out of the twenty million people that suffer from the disease are children. 64% of the children living in urban cities such as Beijing in China also suffer from the illness (Krushnan, Kauffman and Hoek 30). Thus, it means that children are the more susceptible to asthma than adults. The effects of the disease in children include obstruction of their learning in school, avoidance of physical exercise, which is essential for growth, and destruction of their cardiovascular system.

Adults on the other hand suffer financial losses and absenteeism from their jobs (Cassee, Mills, and Newby 68). This indicates that asthma may cause further destruction in the society such as increasing the number of school drop outs and high employee turnover, if the causes of the illness are not dealt with in time. Factors of the Problem The air pollutants that cause asthma may either be indoor or outdoor. Indoor pollutants are those that are present in the air that people breathe in while inside buildings; while outdoor are those that are in the exterior of buildings.

The Environmental Protection Agency argues that the highest population in the world spends more than twelve hours of a day while indoors. The agency also postulates that indoor causes of air pollution are more destructive than outdoor pollutants (Haerens 78). This explains the reason for the high prevalence of asthma in major regions of the world such as China and the United States. The indoor air pollutants include bacteria, fungi, tobacco smoke, nitrogen dioxide, and allergens from dust, cats, and mites.

The outdoor causes of air pollution that cause asthma include lead, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide (Haerens 87). Sulfur dioxide originates from the burning of coal and crude oil such as diesel that is used to drive motor vehicles. Nitrogen dioxide, on the other hand, is produced from factories, and it settles on the lower layer of the ozone forming smog that also causes asthma. Nitrogen and sulfur dioxide combine with air in the atmosphere and form tiny particles that cause breathing difficulties in victims (Sudd 77).

Some products that consumers use in their indoors activities, and cause asthma include cleaning products and air fresheners (Krishner, Kaufman, and Hoek 74). These products have effects similar to those of the atmospheric indoor and outdoor pollutants. Impact on the Health of Humans The health impacts of indoor and outdoor pollutants may be determined according to the causes of pollution. The airborne particles that are produced from the combustion of fuels from exhaust fumes and tobacco