IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY RESPIRATORY SYSTEMMembers: Ian Lim Yew Joe , Ker Chee Yuan , Low Kah LeongClass: 3H

INDEX• Air Pollutants• Various Diseases related to the respiratory system• Ways to improve the quality of air• Practices of keeping the air clean

AIR POLLUTANTSPollutant Source Human Health EffectsNitrogen Dioxide • Motor vehicles are the biggest

contributors• Other combustion processes

Lung damage; orRespiratory Disease.

Carbon Monoxide •Motor vehicle exhaust and burning of materials such as coal, oil and wood. It is also released from industrial processes and waste incineration

When inhaled Carbon Monoxide enters the bloodstream and disrupts the supply of oxygen to the body’s tissues.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) SO2 come from fuel combustion (especially high-sulfur coal); electric utilities and industrial processes as well as and natural occurances like volcanoes.

Aggravates asthma and makes breathing difficult.It also contributes to particle formation with associated health effects.

Lead (Pb) Smelters (metal refineries) and other metal industries; combustion of leaded gasoline in piston engine aircraft; waste incinerators (waste burners), and battery manufacturing.

Damages the developing nervous system, resulting in IQ loss and impacts on learning, memory, and behavior in children. Cardiovascular and renal effects in adults and early effects related to anaemia.

Ground-level Ozone (O3) Secondary pollutant formed by chemical reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NOx in the presence of sunlight.

Decreases lung function and causes respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath, and also makes asthma and other lung diseases get worse.

VARIOUS DISEASES RELATED TO THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

• Asthma• Bronchitis• Emphysema• Pneumonia

ASTHMA • Bronchial Asthma is the condition of subjects with widespread narrowing of

the bronchial airways, which changes in severity over short periods of time (either spontaneously or under treatment) and leads to cough, wheezing, and difficulty in breathing.

• Cardiac Asthma occurs in left ventricular heart failure and must be distinguished from bronchial asthma, as the treatment is quite different.

• Cause: May be precipitated by exposure to one or more of a wide range of stimuli, including allergens, drugs (such as aspirin and other NSAIDs and beta blockers), exertion, emotion, infections, and air pollution.The onset of asthma is usually early in life and in atopic subjects may be accompanied by other manifestations of hypersensitivity, such as hay-fever and dermatitis; however the onset may be delayed into adulthood or even middle or old age.

BRONCHITIS • Chronic Bronchitis:

Is not primarily an inflammatory condition, although it is frequently complicated by acute infections.

• Acute Bronchitis • Cause: The disease is particularly prevalent in Britain in association with

cigarette smoking, air pollution, and emphysema.

EMPHYSEMA• Pulmonary emphysema:

The air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs are enlarged and damaged, which reduces the surface area for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

• Surgical emphysema:• Cause: Air may escape into the tissues of the chest and neck from leaks

in the lungs and oesophagus; occasionally air escapes into other tissues during surgery, and bacteria may form gas in soft tissues. The presence of gas or air gives the affected tissues a characteristic crackling feeling to the touch, and it may be visible on X-rays. It is easily absorbed once the leak or production is stopped.

PNEUMONIA• Inflammation of the lung caused by bacteria, in which the air sacs

(alveoli) become filled with inflammatory cells and the lung becomes solid.

• Cause: Bacteria : Pneumonias may be classified in different ways: a.According to X-ray appearance b.According to the inflecting organisms c.According to the clinical environmental circumstances under which infection

is acquired.

WAYS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF AIR

• Decrease the amount of open burning• Walk, bike, carpool, or take public transit.• Don't burn wood or trash. Instead of burning debris, start a compost pile

in your backyard for organic materials.• Avoid idling. Turn off your car’s engine while waiting for someone and try

to avoid drive-through lines.• Reduce, reuse and recycle.

PRACTICES OF KEEPING THE AIR CLEAN

THANKS FOR WATCHING AND HAVE FUN IN SCIENCE =P