Credit: Amin Mohajeri Take a slow, deep breath. Feel the pleasant airflow entering your lungs, nourishing your blood and fueling your cells. This effortless, automatic rhythm is a priceless gift. With each breath, oxygen flows into the body and carbon dioxide leaves. Yet this delicate exchange can be disrupted over time by long-term exposure to … Continue reading The Quiet Art of Protecting Your Lungs Against COPD
Pollution
What You Need to Know About Microplastics and Their Effects on Health
Credit: iStock/Sansert Sangsakawrat If you're like me, you've probably been hearing more about microplastics. But what exactly are they, and why we should be concerned? Let’s dive into the facts and explore how these tiny particles are affecting us and our world. What Are Microplastics? Microplastics are tiny plastic particles, typically smaller than 5 millimeters. … Continue reading What You Need to Know About Microplastics and Their Effects on Health
Climate Change Affects Our Health by Changing Air Quality
Credit: iStock Earth is a special planet for having an atmosphere that enables life to thrive. Our atmosphere surrounds our planet, which keeps us warm and contains oxygen for us to breathe. The atmosphere has different layers with different qualities and is where our weather happens. Weather refers to the state of the air and … Continue reading Climate Change Affects Our Health by Changing Air Quality
Invisible and Deadly: Small Particles Cause Big Problems for Our Hearts
Credit: iStock Most of us have heard arguments about climate change and how increasing levels of pollution are destroying the Earth and its natural resources. Air pollution, however, has a much more direct impact on us. In particular, tiny particles in the air invisible to the naked eye are causing big problems for our hearts. … Continue reading Invisible and Deadly: Small Particles Cause Big Problems for Our Hearts
In Santiago, What’s Smog Got to Do with It?
Smog hangs over the city of Santiago, Chile. Credit: Anne Crecelius Upon arriving in Santiago, Chile, my travel companions from the University of Dayton and I were struck by the beautiful sights of the Andes mountains and the not-so-beautiful sight of a cloud of smog hanging over the city. Like many major metropolitan areas, such … Continue reading In Santiago, What’s Smog Got to Do with It?