Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 20 : Spring 2014 | Page 79

Healthy You:

Spring Isn’t the
Only Thing in the
Air
by Kim Jones,
Cary Medical Center

I love spring in New England. It’s a magical
season of rejuvenation when colors emerge from the
shimmering shadows of winter, flora and fauna wake
from months of slumber, and days grow longer by the
minute. One of my favorite ways to welcome spring is
to open my windows to let sun-kissed breezes flood my
home, office, and car. As refreshing as this is, however,
I can’t help but notice that spring isn’t the only thing in
the air.

Outside, road grime, pollen, and smoke from
burning fields all tend to be especially heavy this time
of year. And inside, rooms that were sealed up for the
winter have accumulated residue from heating systems,
dust, and allergens. So, how can we embrace spring
without the risk of congestion, eye irritation, scratchy
throat, or worse?

Let’s start by defining air pollution. Simply put,
it is a mixture of natural and synthetic substances in
the air. The substances are called pollutants, and they
can be in the form of gases, particles, and even liquids.
Some pollutants can be seen (like smog or dust), while
others are invisible to the human eye (such as ground
level ozone or carbon monoxide). Pollution can come
from two different kinds of sources – primary or
secondary. Primary sources are pollution on their own,
emitted directly into the environment from a source.
Secondary pollutants form when there is a reaction
in the atmosphere by mixing two or more primary
pollutions to create a new pollution substance.

Regardless of the source, air pollution is
considered a major health hazard around the world in
that it contributes to the development and severity of
conditions such as respiratory infections, eye irritation,
heart disease, cancer, and asthma. The World Health

Organizations estimates that more than 3 million
premature deaths annually can be attributed to
poor air quality, with the most affected populations
living in developing countries and urban areas. But
even when the air looks and smells clean, as it often
does in Aroostook County, you could still be inhaling
dangerous pollutants that have serious, long-term
health consequences. In fact, Maine has among the
highest levels of radon (a colorless, odorless, tasteless
radioactive gaseous pollutant) in the United States and radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer!
Even relatively low concentrations of air pollutants
have been linked to adverse health effects, making
this a problem that touches everyone in all parts of
the world…not to mention the environmental impact,
including destruction of plant life and animal deaths.
While it’s practically impossible to completely avoid
exposure to air pollution, there are several steps you
can take to protect yourself and your family from its
effects.
For outdoor air pollution:
1. Learn how to use the Air Quality Index (AQI). This
guide, from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, is a daily report of air quality based
on the five major air pollutants regulated by
the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle
pollution (also known as particulate matter),
carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen
dioxide. The EPA has established national air
quality standards to protect public health. The
AQI will tell you what the current air pollution
levels are based on these standards. This
information, which appears in most all local
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