Air, a major natural health factor

By D'Âme Nature

Air and its quality are natural health factors, meaning that the quality of the air you breathe is important to your long-term health. In other words, if the air we breathe contains toxins, several health problems may appear. Air is an important part of your environment and its quality is often a guarantee of a better quality of life in general.

Here are 10 facts about air and how important its quality is:

1. As you may have guessed, without air, no living being can live. Through breathing, oxygen from the air first enters our lungs and is then delivered to our entire body. Specifically, our lungs take oxygen from the air and send it to our bloodstream, which carries it to the tissues and organs that allow us to walk, talk and move. The quality of the air that enters our body is therefore important since we want to minimize the amount of toxins that are carried into our cells.

2. Our lungs allow the removal of carbon dioxide from our blood, through the air we exhale. The more toxins in the air we breathe, the more our health can be negatively affected as the removal of carbon dioxide becomes more difficult.

3. Smog and air pollution, which are found in greater quantities near large cities, contain toxins that are harmful to our health. In fact, according to the Government of Canada's website, ambient air pollution is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Living farther away from big cities, having a cottage in the mountains or having several plants in the house are examples of elements that can promote a better quality of air consumption and therefore have a positive impact on our health.

4. The electromagnetic waves created by telephones, wifi and other electronic devices are found in the ambient air and have negative impacts on health. The intensity of these waves is even greater in a closed cabin, for example, inside a car. Turning off your phone or putting it on airplane mode in the car, or even at night, can help promote better health in the long term.

5. Smoking and second-hand smoke create toxins in the air, which are harmful to your health. In fact, several studies have shown that tobacco smoke contains chemicals that can be carcinogenic. In addition, most of the smoke emitted by cigarettes is released into the air, since not all of it is inhaled by the smoker, putting everyone in the vicinity at risk.

6. Plants and trees help improve air quality by oxygenating the home and the planet. They also "clean" the air we breathe of toxins, which can have a long-term health benefit.

7. According to the Quebec government website, the main air pollutants are: fine particulate matter (PM2.5); ozone (O3); sulfur dioxide (SO2); nitrogen dioxide (NO2); and carbon monoxide (CO). Some of these pollutants are harmful toxins that can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and cause multiple short and long-term health problems.

8. According to the same source, short-term symptoms of breathing polluted air include "eye irritation; wheezing or difficulty breathing; airway irritation and inflammation (coughing); and increased shortness of breath, especially during physical activity." Therefore, it is important to check the air quality in the area where one lives before going outside and to take certain precautions when a smog warning is in effect.

9. When a person is faced with breathing polluted air for several years, certain health problems can develop over the longer term, such as those listed by the Government of Canada: "chronic lung disease, such as chronic bronchitis; cardiovascular disease, which is heart and blood vessel disease; lung cancer," or allergies and asthma.

10. Moulds and other contaminants associated with excessive humidity, as well as asbestos, can be present in some buildings and have a negative impact on air quality and therefore on health. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, these airborne toxins can cause health problems, such as allergic or respiratory problems, aggravate an existing disease or gradually deteriorate the health of some people. It is therefore important to verify, with the help of specialized tools and experts, the quality of the air inside a building and to maintain a good level of humidity in order to avoid this type of problem.

Hopefully, there are solutions that can help improve the quality of the air you breathe on a daily basis. Among these, the use of plants in your home can be beneficial, including for example, the Areca Palm plant, which is known for its depolluting properties. In addition, frequently ventilating your home or office by opening the windows, ideally once or twice a day and outside of the most polluted hours, will regenerate the air you breathe and improve its quality. Disinfecting cleaning products for the house based on natural and 100% organic products are also highly recommended.

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