237_How to Protect Yourself From the Invisible Affects of Air Pollution

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 237

 How to Protect Yourself From the Invisible Affects of Air Pollution

To say that our society is toxic would be a gross understatement. It is truly impossible to avoid exposure to some sort of toxic substance. We have pesticides in our foods. We clean our homes with toxic compounds. We routinely place toxic chemicals on our lawns. We breath in microplastics and even eat them. Even our health care products contain synthetic compounds. Based on this it should not be any great surprise that chronic disease are on the rise.

While the toxic products mentioned above may be easy to recognize and avoid, one thing we cannot avoid is the air we breath. But unfortunately, that is toxic as well.

So stick around for this week’s episode and learn how to protect yourself from the invisible affects of air pollution.

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E237 How to Protect Yourself from the Invisible Affects of Air Pollution.

What I want to accomplish in this episode is to first emphasize how air pollution is one of the least recognized sources of long-term health problems. But then I want to follow that up with giving you some pointers on how to protect yourself from such health risks because it is only going to get worse.

Good news story of the week.

But before we do that, let’s first talk about the good news story of the week. And this week’s good news story is a perfect fit to this week’s topic. It is about a new study that reveals a direct correlation to a healthy diet and reduced incidence of dementia.

This study involved 90,000 adults and what is called the MIND diet, which stands for Mediterranean Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. This dietary pattern is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet which is aimed at lowering blood pressure. It includes proven “brain-healthy” foods such as leafy green vegetables, berries, nuts, fish, and olive oil.

This study showed that the MIND diet had a stronger and much more consistent reduction relationship with dementia than other healthy diets. Data collection on this diet started in the 1990s. Results showed that people who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over 10 years, including those who not strictly adhere to the diet, had a 25% lower risk of dementia compared to those whose adherence declined over time.

So, I guess this is yet another study that reveals that we are truly what we eat.

Now let’s move on to this weeks episode.

Quite often I find myself sitting on the back deck of the cabin simply enjoying the peace and quiet and the long-range mountain views. This is augmented by the chirping birds, clear blue skies and fresh mountain air. If I do this early in the morning with a good cup of coffee in hand, it is easy for me to lapse into a meditative state, especially if I go down the hill and sit by the creek.

But while I sit and enjoy my little slice of paradise, it is so easy to allow all the challenges that we have in our present world to fade from my thoughts.  And unless I manage myself carefully, it is quite possible for these local and global issues to have an impact on my daily lifestyle. That said,  it is truly impossible for me to completely avoid the influences of the outside world. 

One thing that has just as much of an impact on me as it does with everyone else is all the toxins we are exposed to every single day. Such on-going exposure undoubtedly has some bearing on the rise in chronic disease that we now see. Recent studies have shown that the number of chronic diseases in working-age adults has increased by 25% in the last decade. Additionally, the prevalence of chronic disease in young people aged 5 to 25 years has risen nearly 30% over the past twenty years.

Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and respiratory diseases were either the direct cause of or at least a contributing factor in 75% of global deaths in 2010. That percentage rose to 79% in 2020 and is expected to increase to 84% by 2030.

But of all the things we are exposed to there is one thing that flies under the radar far too often and that is air quality. Despite significant improvements in air quality over the past few decades, air pollution remains a substantial threat to public health and welfare.

According to the American Lung Association's 2025 State of the Air report, nearly half of Americans—156 million people—are still living in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate pollution. This represents an increase of nearly 25 million people compared to the previous year's report, marking the highest number in the last ten years.

Climate change is also exacerbating air quality issues by increasing the frequency of extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires, which also contributes to higher levels of ozone and particulate matter. The rising temperatures that we are now seeing is directly associated with the formation of ground-level ozone, which is also known as tropospheric ozone.

Unlike stratospheric ozone, which protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, ground-level ozone is a major component of smog and can cause respiratory issues in humans.

Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly into the air but is created through chemical reactions between NOx and VOCs. Major sources of these pollutants include vehicle emissions, industrial facilities, power plants, and solvents. Levels of ground-level ozone tend to be highest near urban centers due to higher concentrations of these pollutants.

Now it is unfortunate to note that this is all happening at the time when the Environmental Protection Agency, known as the EPA, has been tasked with dismantling air quality protections. For example, some of the deregulations that the EPA is working on include:

-Loosening regulations on oil and gas industry

-Changing mercury and air toxin standards that target coal-fired power plants

-Reconsideration of multiple national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants.

Potential Health Problems Related to Pollution

What we already know is that air pollution levels in many parts of the US already exceed air quality standards for pollutants such as fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ground level ozone. But, what does this all really mean and what type of health problems do we have to worry about?

Chronic exposure to air pollution has been associated with stroke, high blood pressure, dementia, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, mental health issues, premature birth, kidney disease and reduction in life expectancy. Fine particulate matter is a cause for even greater concern. It is commonly found in smoke, such as from wildfires. But it is also found in motor vehicle and power plant emissions which means it is impossible to avoid.

What Can We Do?

That begs the question of course of what can we do to avoid all the detrimental affects of the very air we breath? While it is impossible to completely avoid breathing polluted air, there are things we can do to to help our bodies be prepared for what we will inevitable inhale.

Common sense things we can do is eat a nutrient-dense diet that is rich in antioxidants. We should avoid highly processed foods which tend to promote chronic inflammation. We should also avoid being outside when air quality is particularly poor. But there are also dietary considerations and supplements we can include in our diet to add an extra layer of protection.

Much of the harm to our bodies due to air pollution has to do with increased oxidative damage which which is another source of chronic inflammation. Dietary changes and supplements are geared toward reducing those inflammatory processes.

The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are well known for their anti-inflammatory effects. One study published in the Journal of Neurology in 2020 focused on the effects of omega-3 on brain size. Researchers found that exposure to particulate matter in air pollution reduced brain size. However, those effects were mitigated in patients that had high blood levels and dietary intake of EPA and DHA.

In a different study on asthma patients ranging in age from 5 to 12 years, researchers noted that asthma symptoms were reduced in patients with higher omega-3 fat intake.

Other research has shown that increased intake of the B vitamins folate, B6 and B12 can decrease the effects of air pollution on cardiovascular function. Another study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that folic acid, B6 and B12 can prevent the negative effects that fine particulate matter has on DNA.

Vitamins C and E also have some powerful protective properties. Since air pollution causes increased oxidative damage these two vitamins are especially important when it comes to protecting the lungs. There have been a number of studies that demonstrated  supplementation with vitamin C and E protects normal lung function in children and adults, with and without asthma, when exposed to acute and long-term air pollution. In addition to these vitamins, there are also certain phytonutrients that have proven detoxification effects.

Best sources of all these vital nutrients

Then of course the next question is what are the best sources of all these vital nutrients.

While it is possible to take dietary supplements in order to obtain all these vital nutrients, a more holistic approach would be to include whole foods that contain the same nutrients.

Omega-3s

The best sources include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies. Although herring, whitefish and tuna also contain significant amounts of the omega-3s.

Plant bases sources of the omega-3s include flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and soybeans. However, the biological availability of these fatty acids from plant based sources is limited. Because of this it is recommended to include animal and plant based sources of EPA and DHA.

Additionally fortified foods such as eggs, milk, and yogurt can also provide the needed omega-3s. Oils such as canola oil, soybean and walnut oil are good sources as well. For those who do not consume fish, algae oil is a good vegetarian alternative.

Folate, B6 and B12

The best sources of folate, B6 and B12 include a wide variety of animal and plant based foods. Things such as beef liver, spinach, black-eyes peas and fortified cereals are good choices. Chickpeas, salmon, potatoes, and bananas are good sources of B6. Good sources of B12 include sardines, trout, salmon, beef, tuna, milk, yogurt, eggs, chicken, turkey, and fortified cereals. A great vegetarian alternative is nutritional yeast.

Vitamin C and E

The best sources of vitamin C includes  oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes. You can get plenty of vitamin E from sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, wheat germ oil, sweet peppers, spinach, beet greens and butternut squash.

Phytonutrients

And finally, as far as the phytonutrients are concerned, the best sources are leafy green, tomatoes, citrus fruit, garlic, onions, broccoli, cabbage, berries, and green tea.

The Key Takeaway

Exposure to air pollution, especially fine particulate matter, is nearly impossible to avoid. It is truly one of the most under appreciate sources of a myriad of health concerns. This includes a long list of chronic health problems, which are increasingly becoming a leading cause of death.  Long-term exposure to air pollution causes inflammation and oxidative damage to a number of different tissues in our bodies. As if that is not enough, all the highly processed foods that are a regular part of our diets, is another source of chronic inflammation. The bottom line is that this makes us more susceptible to chronic diseases and early death.

Interestingly enough, the best way to mitigate all of this is simply through a healthy diet with a wide variety of nuts, fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes and lean meat. All the processed foods, restaurant food and fast foods we consume may be somewhat more convenient, but we are literally eating ourselves to death. As it turns out, the best diet for us is not only healthier but it is also sustainable. Truthfully, we should have stayed with the more basic diet of whole foods that used to be the norm. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

This is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.