But it's increasingly clear that we're also suffering the impact of the poor quality air in our homes.Īs Nature, the world's leading science journal, recently pointed out, indoor air pollution kills 3.2 million people a year worldwide, which is almost as many as the 3.5 million killed by outdoor air pollution.Ī common source of PM2.5s in our homes is wood-burning stoves. There has been a lot of research - and concern - about the quality of the air outdoors. The theory is that air pollution causes inflammation in the brain, and that, in turn, can trigger mental illnesses - with men more vulnerable to the effects of inhaling these tiny air particles than women (it's not clear why). In a study published earlier this month in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, based on the health records of nearly 400,000 Brits, people who were exposed to the least amount of air pollution were found to have the lowest levels of depression and anxiety. Outdoor air pollution kills at least 35,000 people every year in the UK, with most of those deaths caused by inhaling PM2.5s.Ī few years ago I was shocked to discover, while doing a small experiment in London which involved wearing an air pollution monitor, just how many particles I was breathing in: the highest levels I recorded were when I was stuck in traffic in a taxi, surrounded by cars belching out their fumes.Īs well as damaging our hearts, lungs and brains (it's been linked to cognitive decline and dementia), inhaling polluted air affects our mood. We've known for some time about the dangers to our health from breathing polluted air on the streets, mainly from traffic. If tiny particles of polluted air are having a big effect on the brains of chess players, what are they doing to the rest of us? The Dutch study showed that temperature and carbon dioxide levels didn't make any difference to the chess players, but the higher the levels of PM2.5 in the air where they were playing, the worse their decision-making was, particularly when under time pressure. What makes them dangerous is that they can penetrate deep into our lungs, then travel through our blood to organs such as the heart and the brain. Freddy Santigo, one of the evacuees, was irritated, and unsure what he will do with his dog – he says he cannot take the dog to the hotel and the local animal shelter is closed for the day.Cooking with gas and gas boilers produces particulate matter Residents forced to evacuate were frustrated due to lack of communication between themselves and the officials in charge of handling the collapse. The West Broadway Bridge remains closed as of 5:30pm. The section of Ryle Avenue leading to Presidential Boulevard has been cordoned off by fire fighters and police officers. It is likely the building will be demolished within the week however, because of the size of the mill it remains unclear when exactly the building will come down. Michael Posterino, the fire chief, said he was unsure when the building would be demolished a demolition crew was at the scene little before 6pm. When I opened the door all I see is a bunch of bricks falling down.” Marilda Soto, who was one of the many individuals told to evacuate, was dragging a garbage bag filled with her belongings she said, “I was in my room - all I heard was a boom! My dog started going crazy. The roof of the building collapsed at around 12pm on Tuesday local residents who lived in homes across the street from the abandoned 20th century mill complex said during the noon they heard a loud boom sound and looked outside to find pieces of debris and bricks from the building had fallen on the road. An abandoned mill building located on Ryle Avenue partially collapsed on Tuesday afternoon leaving many nearby residents without a home and the aforementioned avenue impassable.
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