AIR POLLUTION AFFECTS EVERYONE

Many residents of Saudi Arabia experience some kind of air pollution related symptoms such as watery eyes, coughing, or wheezing. Even for healthy people, polluted air can cause respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. Your actual risk depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and concentration, and the length of exposure to the polluted air.

People most susceptible to severe health problems from air pollution are:

• Individuals with heart or lung disease
• Individuals with respiratory problems such as asthma or
• Emphysema a condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness.
• Pregnant women
• Outdoor workers
• Children under age 14, whose lungs are still developing
• Elderly residents, whose immune systems are weaker
• Athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors
• High air pollution levels can cause immediate health problems:
• Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness
• Added stress to heart and lungs, which must work harder to
• supply the body with oxygen
• Damaged cells in the respiratory system

Long-term exposure to polluted air can have permanent health effects:

• Accelerated aging of the lungs and loss of lung capacity
• Decreased lung function
• Development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly cancer
• Shortened life span