Outdoor pollution: how to confront it and how it affects us

One of the world's greatest poisons can be something as necessary as the air we breathe. However, often less importance is given to air when thinking about health than to other factors, such as food or drink. And it does little good to eat very well or monitor what we drink if we breathe poor quality air. And one of the culprits can be outdoor pollution that occurs in cities and, in other situations, also in natural environments.

Fortunately, in Spain, we do not have continuously high pollution levels in our cities that persist throughout the year, as is the case in developing countries. However, some large cities like Madrid suffer from serious outdoor pollution problems on several days of the year, which can pose a health risk, especially for people with respiratory issues.

What are the main effects of exposure to pollution? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), outdoor pollution increases the risk of developing acute respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, and chronic diseases, such as lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The effects are much more susceptible among children and the elderly, and the effects become noticeable over time, unless the level of pollution is very high.

To know what level of pollution we have in real-time around the world, the environmental group Air Quality Index of China (AQIC) has created one of the best tools to know the level of pollution anywhere on the planet. With it, we can see what situation we are in at any given time, both in our location and in other places.

The measurement to know the level of pollution, which is also the most commonly used today, follows the PM2.5 scale, which refers to the concentration of suspended particles in the air that are less than 2.5 microns, the most dangerous according to many experts. The standard created in the United States to represent on a scale the danger of outdoor pollution is as follows:

• 0 to 50 PM2.5 particles: air of sufficient quality and considered satisfactory.
• 51 to 100 PM2.5 particles: air of acceptable quality, which can cause moderate harm to those sensitive to pollution.
• 101 to 150 PM2.5 particles: air dangerous for sensitive groups such as children and the elderly.
• 151 to 200 PM2.5 particles: dangerous air. Everyone may notice negative effects.
• 201 to 300 PM2.5 particles: safety alert due to emergency danger. The entire population may suffer problems.
• More than 300 PM2.5 particles: general alert, the whole population may suffer serious problems.

For example, in Spain it is easy to be in the second scale, with many cities experiencing more than 100 MP2.5 particles. However, the solution is not to think that we can simply settle for being part of a lower risk group. Because pollution is something that, even if it does not pose a health risk, does have negative consequences.

If we breathe poor quality air, we can facilitate the onset of respiratory diseases, we will rest better, it will be harder for us to concentrate, and we can become more irritable. Therefore, it is important to combat the effects of outdoor and indoor pollution.

How to protect ourselves from outdoor pollution?

Against outdoor pollution, we must take into account the risk situations and the measures we can take. Unfortunately, we cannot change the situation beyond becoming aware of how our activity can affect the environment: not using the car, avoiding plastics, recycling everything we can, and seeking a sustainable way of living.

What we can do is to be aware of the level of pollution outdoors and act accordingly. For example, avoiding exercising outdoors if the outdoor pollution is high. The use of masks is only recommended on days of high levels, and a normal mask does not work. To be effective against pollution, they must be of N95 certification.

However, what we can do is be careful with the air we breathe indoors. Why? Basically, because people spend more time indoors than outdoors these days. We breathe much more inside our homes or workplaces than on the street, so we must monitor the quality of that air.

The problem is that if we want to ventilate the house by opening the windows and there is quite a bit of outdoor pollution, what we will do is further dirty the air inside the house. Pollution from the street will enter, and if we then close the windows and cook or use chemical products, we will contaminate the environment even more. For this reason, the best thing is to have a mechanical ventilation system that incorporates air filters to clean the air coming from outside.