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Is Indoor Air pollution worsening reproductive health?

Image of a pregnant lady holding a scanned picture of her baby.
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Pollution in any form affects the human body and mind adversely, and more so if it is air pollution. In other forms of pollution, it can be controlled and managed to a large extent. In case of air pollution, we have to take adequate measures, such as having an Air security device installed to keep us safe from harm. The effects of air pollution on infants and pregnant mothers are more profound.
During pregnancy, we are addressing the health of two lives, that of the mother and the child. Air pollution affects the health of the mother and child equally. “Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is associated with complications during pregnancy [e.g., preeclampsia, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure] and adverse birth outcomes such as pre-term birth, low birth weight or in some cases, stillbirth,” said Pallavi Pant, a senior scientist at the Boston-based Health Effects Institute. We also know that the more an infant is exposed to air pollution, the more adversely it affects its health and growth milestones as a whole.
Air pollution is also a primary reason for increased rates of infertility, miscarriages, stillbirth, premature birth and birth deformities. Pollutants may act by disrupting endocrine secretions, altering DNA and even sometimes by reacting with body chemicals to manifest as anomalies in the pregnancy. Studies have been conducted to understand specific pollutants that cause specific issues in the pregnancy cycle. It is revealed that ozone and nitrogen dioxide pollution is largely responsible for a reduced live birth rate. PM10 resulted in an increased rate of miscarriages, and PM2.5 and lower were responsible for diminished fecundability.
A third of the world’s population uses inefficient cooking methods and open fires that use crop waste, twigs, animal dung and kerosene as fuel. This results in deposits of soot and other pollutants remaining in the indoor air, making it unfit for breathing. Since these are mostly people below the poverty line, their living spaces are cluttered and poorly ventilated. In addition to this, in many under-developed and developing nations, women often stay at home doing household chores like cooking and cleaning, while only men go out to work and earn a living. Under such circumstances, women are put at risk from pollution at home. Pregnant women also live under the same conditions, putting them at greater risk, both for themselves and their unborn children.
Studies have also shown that, in many instances, indoor air pollution is more harmful to health than outdoor air pollution due to the build-up of pollutants in contained spaces. It is estimated that indoor air quality can be worse by up to 10 times than outdoor air quality due to the build-up of harmful chemicals and other contaminants. The principal indoor air pollutants are combustion by-products, building materials, bioaerosols, radon, asbestos, pesticides, heavy metals, volatile organic matter and environmental tobacco smoke. We can also classify indoor air pollutants as biological pollutants and chemical pollutants. Our lifestyle of small, contained spaces both at work and home only multiplies the issue. There are factors which we can quickly change and others which we cannot. Our living space is something we cannot quickly change, but the environment in which we live in can be greatly improved by using efficient Air Filtration Systems. Philips, Coway and Tenshield are products which will help clean the indoor air and help us improve our quality of life and health.

Another major cause of ill health is the lack of awareness about pollutants and their cause and effects. Many people are unaware of indoor pollution and take an allergy or asthmatic conditions as a natural health problem. It is often untreated and not cared for until it gets severe and is out of hand. But if checked and understood well, these can be controlled to a great extent through air purification. A good air security system efficiently cleans the indoor air of viruses, bacteria, fungus, moulds, pollen, smoke and airborne chemicals. Air purifiers come in different sizes air purifiers for the home, Air purifiers for the office and air purifiers for a car. Choosing the right one, depending on your requirement, is key to a thorough air cleaning procedure. Lastly, understanding that Air Safety is key to healthy living is what will pivot our efforts for a healthier tomorrow.

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