Air pollution is a concern which poses threat to human health and likewise

greatly impacts the ecosystem and the environment.

An expert on air quality and pollution, Environment and Management Bureau

Consultant Engr. Reynaldo Tejada shares his knowledge on the impact of air
quality and pollution in human health, the ecosystem and the environment in a
presentation held here recently on air modeling in the Baguio-La Trinidad-
Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay areas.

Even with the passage of the Clean Air Act which puts in place air pollution
control and policy, Tejada said there are reasons why one should be
concerned in air pollution as it poses significant threat to the human health
and atmosphere.

Its effect in the human body leads to various health-related diseases such
as respiratory disease, decreased lung functions, cancers, eye and throat
irritation, he adds. At high risk are children and elderly and those individuals
with asthma and cardiopulmonary diseases.

As to the impact on the ecosystem and the environment, it affects

vegetation leading to reduction of agricultural yields. There is reduced
production due to emission of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur oxide
(SO2), said Tejada. Both elements create acid rain which reduces
agricultural yield.

Chemical pollutants such as industrial and agricultural chemicals likewise

contribute to climate change.

Sources of air pollution are anthropogenic and natural sources.

Anthropogenic or man-made sources such as those which are stationary like
chimneys, mobile sources like vehicle emissions and area sources emanating
from forest fires, kaingin or burn and slash, and cigarette smoke. Examples
of natural sources are those emitted by volcanoes.

Impact of air pollution is categorized into local, regional and global scale. If
local, there is a need to measure criteria of pollutant as established by the
government to determine exposure level everyday to a certain limit and
certain pollutant within a particular timeframe, said Tejada.

Locally, particulate matters (PM) are produced from combustions of motor

vehicles, furnaces, chimneys, including construction activities. These
particulates are inhaled categorized into total suspended particulate (TSP)
an example of which is the booger that accumulates in the nostrils, PM 2.5
which are particles measuring less than 2.5 µm (micrometres) while PM 10
are particulate matters 10 micrometers or less in diameter.

These particulate matters which affect the body may pass through the
nasopharynx, tracheobronchial until the pulmonary system, depending on the
type of pollutant an individual inhales. The PM2.5, generally described as fine
particles, is dangerous which cannot be eliminated but sticks in the lungs and
accumulates, said Tejada.

He cited a study comparing lungs of two persons who died in Manila and from
the province. The one from Manila has color black lungs while from the
province color red which is an indication of heavy pollution in Manila
compared to the province.

Tejada cited a case of a PM10 particulate if released in the air at the height
of one meter without air movement will take more than four months before
it reaches the ground. It means, without air movement, it is suspended in
the air and a lot of it is inhaled. But if there is air movement, a little of the
particulates are inhaled, he explained.

Another realization he shared is that, there are more PM10 and PM2.5
inhaled indoors due to static air movement while more TSP than PM10 or
PM2.5 inhaled outdoors due to presence of air movement which dissipates
the particulates.

His advice is: when purchasing or building a house, proper ventilation should
be one of the factors for consideration. Installation of exhaust fans is also
one way of depleting particulates inside homes, he added.

For big industries, they are required to have a workplace environment

monitoring (WEM) to determine concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 based on
the Department of Labor and Employment standards.

The regional impact otherwise known as transboundary air pollutants are

those which travel afar such as forest fires, for instance, the one that
occurred in Indonesia in 2005. The haze went as far as Malaysia, Singapore
and Thailand.

The global effect of air pollution is global warming, greenhouse gases effect
and ozone depletion, he further adds.

The principle of garbage in garbage out applies to air pollution, said Tejada.
“If you pollute the air, the air will pollute you”, he lamented. (ALT/SCA-
PIA-CAR, Benguet)

My reaction:

Air pollution is quite alarming nowadays and may be the one of the most
dangerous aspects of public health that we underestimate and ignore. Air
pollution is caused by the presence in the atmosphere of toxic substances,
mainly produced by human activities, even though sometimes it can result
from natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, dust storms and
wildfires. We have to do something in order to address this issue. We can do
in our own little ways. We begin in our home. We should avoid using air
freshener or any chemicals that pollute the air that can harm our health. We
should segregate our garbage bio degradable and non biodegradable . Non
biodegradable should not be burn like plastics because burning plastic will
destroy the ozone layer. Biodegradable like leaves and papers must not be
burn because it decompose and it serves as fertilizer.