Diseases caused by environmental pollution
Chemicals, fumes, allergens and other harmful substances are always present in the environment, sometimes they can cause disease. Perhaps you already experienced an unreasonable headache on the weekend, or you had nausea and a rash after moving to a new home. Such symptoms can cause toxins that are in the home, workplace and public places. For example:
- Headache can occur due to the action of carbon monoxide, which comes from a faulty stove. During the use of the fireplace, a back draft of gas can be created, which can also cause a headache. Troubleshooting will relieve headaches.
- Building materials (insulating material, particle boards, glue for carpet) can release formaldehyde, which causes nausea and rash. Also, the paper that covers the surface of the dry plaster creates favorable conditions for the development of mold, contact with which can cause respiratory problems, allergy symptoms, and provoke asthma attacks.
Both you and the doctor may not know about the causes of your illness or you can confuse them with other problems. The harmful effects of the environment can cause many medical problems. An objective assessment of the environment in which you work, live and spend time, can help to find out the causes of many diseases.
Causes
Short or prolonged contact with harmful chemicals, allergens, atmospheric emissions and other toxins can cause disease. It is known that chemicals that are in cigarettes can cause cancer. Asbestos, an insulating material that was used in old buildings, can cause tumors of the tissues of the chest and abdomen, lung cancer and other diseases. The use of a wood-burning stove or a gas stove with poor ventilation can cause respiratory illness. The use of water from a rural well that is contaminated with pesticides and waste from a nearby plant can cause cancer and neurological diseases. Inhaling mold spores, which are found in building materials, can cause respiratory illness or aggravate asthma.
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pollution[/caption]But, as a rule, people do not know that such contact affects health. There are also no known types and quantities of chemicals that are susceptible to the body, especially if symptoms show up in years. For example, cancer often has a latent, latent, form that can last for decades until symptoms appear.
Symptoms
Symptoms depend on the causes of the disease. The main symptoms are headache, cough, fatigue and nausea. In some cases, signs of the disease do not appear for many years until the disease progresses. On the other hand, contact can cause a sharp allergic reaction, as well as contact with household mites, cockroaches, pollens and pets triggers an asthma attack. Or the symptoms may appear gradually and become more acute after some time after contact.
For some people, staying in a room with poor air quality can cause headaches, coughing, drowsiness, fatigue and nausea. The appearance of such symptoms can be explained by poor ventilation and exposure to vapors of cleansers and cigarette smoke. New homes or carpet can emit formaldehyde, which is known to cause symptoms such as nausea, respiratory problems, dry or inflamed skin, eye irritation.
The house can be bacteria, mold or viruses that settle on heating and ventilation systems, carpets, roofing and insulation materials, which can cause fever, chills, pain, cough and other respiratory diseases. Symptoms of diseases caused by environmental pollution are very difficult to identify and can be confused with other diseases. If you think,
The doctor will not be able to determine what the disease causes toxins until the symptoms appear in a certain place at a certain time. A detective can help, but in order to make a diagnosis, you need a doctor. For example, if you observe symptoms, you may notice that you feel sluggish and passive during the workweek, not on weekends or holidays. The cause of your illness can be poor air quality in the room, which is often called "sick home syndrome". Symptoms may disappear as soon as you leave the environment that causes weakness, such as a newly renovated room or office. But until you discuss with the doctor all the manifestations of symptoms, he can not figure out their cause.
Presence on the walls of the house or workplace of salt spots (white, powdery or crystalline substances that protrude on the surface of concrete, plastic or masonry) indicate the accumulation of mold or moisture, which can cause mold. Another effective method for determining mold is the analysis of air samples that can be done by professionals.
Very often to find out the mysterious causes of the disease is not so simple. The cause of serious diseases can be events that occurred decades ago. Perhaps in the past you lived not far from the place of storage of harmful waste or your work was associated with the repair of old houses, and you inhaled the fibers of asbestos. Before visiting a doctor, remember your past, activities, places of residence and activities.
Diagnostics
The doctor can identify the diseases caused by environmental pollution, only after studying the patient's history, and this is a whole series of questions about the place of residence, work, habits, activities, lifestyle, family and other areas. Answers to these questions will help identify the chemicals or other harmful substances that have ever influenced your body, and decide whether you need specific tests.
The main method of treatment of diseases caused by environmental pollution is the elimination or restriction of contact with the substance that is the cause of the disease. For example, the best way to improve air quality is to eliminate the cause of its contamination. You can adjust the gas stove and reduce the emission of gas or replace it with an electric one. You can also increase the amount of fresh air in the room if you change the air conditioner filters and set up the exhaust fan in the kitchen and bathroom. Gas boilers should be located away from residential areas or even in the garage.
One of the first steps to cleaning the air in the house is a ban on smoking, if there are smokers in the house or live, they should smoke on the street.
The subsequent steps in treatment depend on the symptoms, causes and the affected organ.
During the treatment of diseases caused by the action of mold spores, limit contact with this fungus. The dryness of the room will not allow the mold to develop. Humidity must be below 50%. It is very important to limit contact with mold in the home at work and at school, although this is not easy to achieve. Fungus in the room must be removed by specialists, and you or your children should not be indoors until the end of this procedure.