What is smog and how does it affect health?

Smog, a combination of smoke and fog, is a far-reaching type of visible air pollution that appears more in larger cities but can also be a danger for more rural areas. Smog is a combination of exhaust fumes, damaging PM particles, and other compounds created by burning solid fuel or oil, it can be a byproduct of power plants, refineries, industrial boilers, and alike. Air pollution exists in the summer, but it is especially present and in a somewhat different state in winter months, especially in the heating season.

Unlike fog which is made up of condensed water vapor in the atmosphere, smog is a serious and dangerous combination of fog and other damaging gases. Fog worsens visibility but it isn’t dangerous when health is concerned, while smog on the other hand can cause long-term health problems. Fog is white, and odorless and is often created in conditions when the air is cold and damp, often at night or in the early morning. Smog is often darker, with a tint of brown or yellow (depending on the conditions), and has an uneven distribution compared to fog, it has a noticeable unpleasant smell and can appear at any time of day, especially in urban areas.

Small particles found in smog, known as PM particles, are small enough to be able to access the bloodstream through the lungs, they can cause serious health issues like cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, asthma, nausea, miscarriage, allergies and many others.

Children, the elderly, chronic patients, and pregnant women are at greater risk of complications related to air pollution than other groups.

It is difficult to measure the impact of air pollution on health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated in 2019 that in Serbia, on a yearly scale, more than 5000 people die premature deaths because of respiratory diseases caused by polluted air.

Serbia generally has extremely poor air quality, a 2019 study by IQair has shown it to be one of the worst countries in Europe in this regard, behind neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria.

What can be done?

Daily one can try to be informed and track air quality on a local level. Checking air quality using IQair can be a valuable tool.

When smog appears, one should try not to go outside, especially the high-risk groups of children, the elderly, chronic patients, and pregnant women.

The time when traffic has a high density is also a time when air pollution can be extremely dangerous, so one can avoid leaving the house at these times.

In case you must leave the house, you can use a mask, studies suggest that masks can be effective in preventing infections caused by polluted air. Still, it is important to understand that not all masks are the same and some are practically useless depending on the type of pollution. Surgical masks can prevent the breathing of large particles, but not smaller ones, for which nano masks are necessary, which are drastically more expensive and can often be unavailable in pharmacies.

This text is intended for informational purposes only. If you experience any symptoms, it is recommended that you seek advice from your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.*

*Image taken from the site:https://pixabay.com/photos/city-smog-gray-building-4772482/

Air pollution and your health. (n.d.). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution

Javed, A., Aamir, F., Gohar, U., Mukhtar, H., Zia-Ui-Haq, M., Alotaibi, M., Bin-Jumah, M., Marc, R., & Pop, O. (2021). The potential impact of smog spell on humans’ health amid COVID-19 rages. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11408. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111408

Serbia Air Quality Index (AQI) and Air Pollution information | IQAir. (n.d.). https://www.iqair.com/serbia