AIR
 R.A.S HEMAT, MB;BCh, FRCSI, Dip.Urol.UCL.
Good air quality is important to public health. High levels of air pollution are linked to increased hospital admissions for respiratory and heart disease. Air ions are classified according to their size: small (molecules), medium (tiny particles), and large (dust).Ozone is a molecule composed of 3 atoms of oxygen.
The site of action of air ions is the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. Central heating and air conditioning, smoking, the usual household activities of dusting and cooking all combine to lower levels of small ions in indoor environments. The growing number of automobiles, continue to put pressure on air quality. The acidity of rainwater comes from the natural presence of 3 substances (CO2, NO, and SO2) found in the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere). The human industrial activity produces additional acid-forming compounds in far greater quantities than the natural sources of acidity.
Electromagnetic fields from appliances, static electricity from synthetic fibres and air that is conditioned indoors or polluted by chemicals outdoors all serve to deplete negative air ions and alter the body's chemistry. All air pollutants, nuclear, industrial, and domestic result in increasing a positive charge in the surrounding atmosphere. Even the air in open country areas is predominantly positive because it probably received wind carried pollutants, which originated in distant industrial zones.
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a cause of lung cancer. The costs resulting from smoking are enormous. Nicotine promotes conversion of arterial smooth muscle cells (SMC) from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype. Industrial exposure to known carcinogens constitutes a significant risk factor for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder. Once dioxygen is activated, its reaction with organic substrates is difficult to control. Dioxygen has 4 oxidising electron equivalents. Free radical chain reactions often started by removing H. from other molecules. Autooxidizable molecules are adrenaline, noradrenaline, dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), and reduced folates. Polyunsaturated-rich cooking and margarines can easily oxidise to peroxides, causing unpleasant smells and tastes-rancidity, staleness, warmed-over flavours, and potential toxicity. Polluted urban air contains a wide variety of reactive gases and particulate substances. The reactions that generate oxidant smog are catalysed by sunlight and produce highly reactive gaseous and aggregated secondary pollutants. Organic sulfur dioxide derivatives are important constituents of aerosols, the secondary atmospheric particulates, which are responsible for the lowered visibility in heavy smog (haze).
Aerosols are complex of particulate and gaseous pollutants, which occur suspended in photochemical smog. The primary organic aerosols are those emitted directly into the air. The secondary organic aerosols are produced in photochemical reactions involving primary hydrocarbon pollutants and atmospheric particles.Indoor pollution is equally or more of a problem in schools and other public buildings. Both the gas-phase and the particulate-phase (tar) radicals of cigarette smoke are more long-lived than the majority of radical species in photochemical smog. Building environments are subject to the adverse effects of outdoor air pollution and themselves generate additional types of air pollutants. Concern about O3 in aircraft was first expressed in the middle 1950s. O3 measurements on aircraft have been reported in several other post-1980 studies. The potential for high O3 in aircraft cabins remains a concern. Surface residues on aircraft components can be sources of cleaning compounds, pesticides, or simply accumulated debris. Most public transportation conveyances have similar sources. Dust can be a vehicle for absorbed organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Airport malaria and runway malaria has been reported. Cabin occupants (whether flight crew or passengers) may be subjected to numerous air contaminants and other physiological stressors in some situations.
Operating room (OR) air may contain microbial-laden dust, lint, skin squames, or respiratory droplets. While hospitals are designed to be places of treatment and healing for patients, they present a significant number of occupational hazards to healthcare workers (HCWs). Hospitals generate tons of waste each year. Incineration is a leading source of highly toxic dioxin, mercury, lead, and other dangerous air pollutants. When incinerated, mercury is released into the environment as dioxins, potentially causing impaired vision, hearing, taste, and smell.Organic solvents, as well as organo-phosphates (OPs), are well known to be capable of causing brain damage. Organic solvents are also used in the production of textiles and dyes as well as pharmaceuticals.
JUNE, 2006
The information in this article has been excerpted from the following books: AIR, by R.A.S. HEMAT.
Note: Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this document electronically as long as it is unmodified. This article may not be sold in any medium, including electronic, CD-ROM, or database, or published in print, without the explicit, written permission of Dr. R. A. S. Hemat.
Clinical Orthomolecularism Classroom
Dr. R.A.S HEMAT declares no conflicts of interest or financial interests in any product or service mentioned in this article, including grants, employment, stock holdings, gifts, or honoraria.
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