9 Tips to Protect Yourself from Air Pollution

Diwali is a festival of enthusiasm in which people gather feelings of excitement and wonder, but in this festival, air pollution occurs. People burn firecrackers, and the environment gets polluted due to the smoke released, which is harmful. 

By celebrating this festival with the same enthusiasm, we can prevent our environment from getting polluted by some measures and celebrate this festival in a healthy environment.

Through this article, we will discuss 9 such measures by following which we can help in protection from air pollution and by which you can take care of your health.

What is Air Pollution?

When some harmful polluted elements, viruses, and chemical substances get mixed in the air, it becomes air pollution. It is very harmful to humans.

Due to polluted air, respiratory and heart-related diseases occur. We are responsible for air pollution. As a result of our actions, air pollution occurs, after which it starts proving harmful to us.

How to Measure Air Quality?

Generally, the main objective of measuring air quality is to understand the amount of pollution present in the air. The Air Quality Index is a tool through which we can measure air quality globally. 

It gives a result based on the pollution present in the air, in which we get information about the quality of the air. This device takes into account the harmful elements present in the air like ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide sulphur dioxide, etc.

In this, the polluted substances present in the air are measured through a sensitive monitoring station. After this, the amount of pollutants is converted into a sub-index value, later the highest sub-index value becomes the AQI value of that air. This is how air quality is measured.

The Impact of Diwali Firecrackers on Air Quality

During Diwali, we burn firecrackers, which cause air pollution. The dust and harmful chemicals emitted from firecrackers pollute the air. These firecrackers release carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and many other harmful metal compounds into the air.

It pollutes the air and creates a harmful environment for us. The pollution emitted by firecrackers is like small particles that reach the respiratory tract and cause problems. Thus, the firecrackers used on Diwali are quite harmful to our health, which affects the air quality, and that is why protection from air pollution is necessary.

Health Risks Related to Air Pollution

Air pollution is very harmful to our health. Breathing polluted air causes problems in our respiratory system and health-related diseases, and we may have to face serious problems.

Let us discuss some of the health problems caused by such air pollution.

1. Respiratory Problems: 

Living in a highly polluted environment causes respiratory problems, which lead to diseases like respiratory infections, bronchitis and asthma. These are respiratory diseases. 

People infected with these diseases have to face many problems; they have a burning sensation, swelling, or many other health-related problems that become quite serious. To avoid these problems, one more step should be taken to purify the air.

2. Cardiovascular Effects: 

Living in a polluted environment causes many problems in our health, especially when we have to face heart-related problems. Air pollution directly affects heart health, increasing the chances of a heart attack.

3. Reduced Lung Function: 

Living in a polluted environment can cause swelling in the lungs, asthma, decreased respiratory strength, bronchitis, and many other problems. Air pollution hinders the lungs from performing their functions properly.

4. Cancer Risk: 

As a result of living in a polluted environment for a long time, the possibility of dangerous diseases like cancer increases. Viruses, polluted elements, and excessive chemical substances present in the environment enter our body through our breathing process, which can sometimes take the form of cancer after a long time.

5. Long-Term Health Implications:

Living in a polluted environment for a long time causes many health-related problems, like heart and lung-related diseases and problems in the respiratory tract.

9 Tips to get protection from Air Pollution: 

If you want to protect yourself from air pollution, it is necessary to read the information given below, where we will provide some valuable tips. These steps will help you get protection from air pollution.

1. Monitoring Air quality:

Monitoring air quality has become very important. Vehicles as well as many factories emit smoke, which pollutes the air. Under air quality monitoring, we can see the amount of pollution in the environment around us through monitoring equipment or our smartphones. 

It is possible to detect sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and other pollution particles present in the atmosphere. When we come to know that there is air pollution in a place, then we can take steps to purify and make the air healthy there.

2. Close windows and Doors:

Due to excessive use of vehicles in heavily populated areas, the air gets polluted a lot. Along with this, Diwali is coming and we will burn firecrackers which will make the air more polluted.

If you want to keep yourself healthy and keep the environment pure, keep your doors and windows closed so that the polluted air from outside does not enter your house, especially on Diwali.

We see this problem more in the buildings and houses next to the road because the smoke emitted by the vehicles nearby becomes harmful to their health. To avoid this, closing the doors and windows is a better solution.

3. Use N95 Masks: 

We can also use N95 Masks for the prevention of air pollution. It filters 95% of the pollutants. It prevents pollutants and viruses from entering the nose and mouth and helps in keeping us healthy. So wear it properly and protect yourself from the problems caused by air pollution.

4. Reduce outdoor Activities:

When the air becomes polluted, doing activities outside the house proves to be quite harmful. So it is important to reduce outdoor activities. Stay away from smoky areas and protect your health.

5. Healthy Diet:

To fight the problems caused by air pollution, we should take special care of our diet. We should eat things that have high amounts of antioxidants.

Antioxidants give us the ability to fight the problems caused by air pollution. We should mainly consume fruits and vegetables. Fish is also very beneficial for our health. We have to keep our diet right.

6. Stay Hydrated: 

Consumption of water helps a lot in removing the particles of pollution from the air. We should always remain hydrated, which will give us strength to fight many health-related problems. 

There are some diseases that occur due to drinking less water or drinking dirty water. It protects us from the problems caused by polluted air and gives us fresh air.

7. Plants in Your Home: 

By planting trees inside the house, the environment of the house becomes pure and healthy. Plants absorb the viruses and pollution present in the environment. It also helps in increasing the amount of oxygen. 

During the process of photosynthesis, plants absorb the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere and expel oxygen, which is very beneficial for human health.

8. Avoid Smoking: 

We should avoid smoking. People who smoke are not only killing themselves but also polluting the environment of their neighborhood. People who smoke are likely to get cancer, and due to the smoke emitted by them, the surrounding environment also gets polluted.

Due to this, the people living there also face many problems. Therefore, smoking should be stopped and one step should be taken to purify the environment.

9. Promote Green Diwali:

We should promote Green Diwali. We know that firecrackers are boiled on Diwali which pollutes the environment. It is totally eco-friendly. Celebrate Green Diwali and do not boil the firecrackers, but plant saplings. It is in our hands to protect our health, so take a step and make the environment healthy by celebrating Green Diwali.

Conclusion

Every year we celebrate different festivals and enjoy ourselves. We all know that it is part of our life but we should ensure that our entertainment does not cause any harm to the environment. Especially during Diwali, we use firecrackers. Due to excessive use of it, the environment gets polluted.

To stop it, we have to follow these measures which were mentioned earlier. To Prevent Air pollution, we should plant trees in large quantities and make this year’s Diwali a healthy Diwali by celebrating Green Diwali by planting trees instead of bursting firecrackers. Let us now celebrate Diwali in a healthy way.