Pollution is Taking a Toll on your Health

What is air pollution doing to your body?

By definition, Oxidative stress is essentially an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants.

The nervous system is vulnerable to oxidative stress. Inflammation and oxidative stress has been recognized as the main potential mechanism through which air pollution can cause damage to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

It is difficult to test for biomarkers to determine the sources of exposures. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-DNA adducts are the biomarkers used to test for such exposures. If a subject has high level of PAH–DNA adduct, it is possible to tell whether the person has high chronic exposure to the chemicals; however, it is not possible to discern whether the person is exposed through ingestion, inhalation or other routes of exposure. Frontiers in Public Health state that “for some environmental pollutants, such as lead, air pollution is also one of the primary sources of exposure. A complete adjustment of the effects of chemicals may result in underestimating the health effects of air pollution because they may be the important components of air pollution. Under this circumstance, it becomes more complex to control for the confounding effects of these chemicals.”

Take this quick True/False quiz to test your knowledge about the damage pollution is causing to your health.

1.True or False. It is possible that air pollution could cause damage to the nervous system through oxidative stress.

A. True
B. False

2.  True or False. Personal monitors are currently the best means available for measuring a patient’s exposure to air pollution.

A. True
B. False

3. True or False. Biomarkers for exposure to air pollution can reveal the exact source of the patient’s exposure.

A. True
B. False

4. True or False. When investigating the health effects of air pollution, controlling for certain confounding chemical factors in the environment may lead to underestimation of those effects.

A. True
B. False

5. True or False. The genetics-based vulnerability of patients to the health effects of air pollution is practically uniform across patient populations.

A. True
B. False

New Comprehensive Testing Available.  This is the year to find your total body burden. 

The list of symptoms you could be feeling is endless. They could be caused by your environment and toxins that you did not even know you were ingesting. Stop suffering, come see Dr. G at Second Nature Care where you can be tested for heavy metal and nonmetal toxins that could be making you sick.

We are your Detox Experts. 

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Answer Key:

1. A. True

2. A. True -  According to a review article published in Frontiers in Public Health, “given the lack of availability of reliable tools for measurement of exposure to air pollution, personal monitoring currently yields the best estimation of exposure and therefore should be considered as the current gold standard.”

3. B. False

4. A. True

5. B. False - According to information cited in a review article published in Frontiers in Public Health, “[g]iven that many health endpoints have genetic underpinnings, there is emerging yet another important confounding factor: gene–environment interaction.This suggests that there could be susceptible sub populations that need more attention than others.”