Outdoor air pollution causes a person's increased risk of stroke. RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences researchers did a study and found that the seasonal increase in stroke. The team studied stroke cases across urban areas in Ireland. It turns out, the illness was caused by outdoor air pollution. They were the first team to find the link between the two.
An increase in the number of stroke cases
The research team noted factors like temperature and humidity, which could impact their study. Their research revealed that just zero to two days after a rise in Dublin's air pollution, there was a significant increase in the number of stroke cases in hospitals.
The authors of the study wrote that Ireland has relatively low air pollution. It means that countries have to introduce policy changes to reduce air pollution. The air in Dublin is filled with high levels of pollution throughout the winter months. It becomes filled with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particle pollution. The sudden increase in air pollution is a result of running diesel engines and burning fossil fuels.
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Ban burning of solid fuel
The study lead author, Dr. Colm Byrne, said that more than 100,000 people in Ireland have strokes yearly. Their research adds to the proof that the country needs to ban the burning of solid fuel to reduce the number of stroke cases.
Much research shows the harmful effects of outdoor air pollution on our health, causing millions of premature deaths yearly. The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that a third of the deaths caused by heart diseases, lung cancer, and stroke are linked to air pollution. It explained that no matter how rich the area you live in, it is tough to escape air pollution because it is all around us.
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Air pollution enters our body
WHO said that small air pollutants could enter our body's defenses. It could penetrate deep into our circulatory and respiratory system, damaging our hearts, brains, and lungs. It also said that air pollution is closely related to climate change. One should note that fossil fuel combustion is the main driver of climate change, and it is also the main contributor to air pollution. Any effort to help decrease one could affect the other.
Air pollution has terrible effects on human health and the planet. Director of the Clean Air Project, John Walke, said that most of these come from energy use and production. He said that burning fossil fuels causes the release of gases and chemicals into the air.
Walke also said that carbon dioxide and methane in air pollution raises the earth's temperature. It explains how it affects climate change.
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