Pollution is defined as the presence of harmful substances in the atmosphere, these substances known as pollutants can be either natural like dust or smoke from fuel and man made such as industrial waste and use of cars, buses and other means of transport which emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide which are harmful to our health.

Air pollution occurs both indoors and outdoors, the particles that are there in the air can change the environment for the worse.

It is a major threat to our daily lives because we have smoke from factories and smog, this not only affects the air quality but has led to extreme change in weather conditions.

There is something known as an AQI or air quality index, it is used to find out the level of air pollution at any given point of time. The higher the AQI value, the higher the number of people who experience respiratory problems and other negative health conditions.

How does air pollution have a negative impact on your health?

1. Air pollution affects the respiratory system, even those who are healthy and have not suffered before from respiratory illnesses, have been suffering from throat irritation, coughing, sore throat and difficulty breathing.
2. Those who suffer from asthma, the situation is made worse due to air pollution, it leads to wheezing and bronchitis, pneumonia and lung cancer for those already suffering from respiratory problems.
3. Long term effects of air pollution can cause eye problems such as watering, redness of the eyes,  dryness, itchiness and eye pain. This is dangerous as it can affect your vision and may cause blindness.
4. The skin is adversely affected due to air pollution, the pollutants such as dust particles, settle on your skin and cause skin irritation, allergies, hives, redness and itchy skin, even for those who have never suffered from skin problems before. 
5. Air pollution can also cause change in skin color with dark spots and premature ageing and wrinkled skin, even for those who are in the twenty to fifty years age group.
6. Air pollution can increase blood pressure, which causes heart disease, abnormal increase of the heartbeat rate and heart failure.
7. The immune system which helps the body to fight diseases and is the first line of defence, is severely weakened due to air pollution. The toxins found in the polluted air causes health complications which further reduce the ability of the immune system to protect the body from disease and infections that are life threatening.
8. Studies have shown that the toxins found in the air due to air pollution and the poor quality of the air that we breathe, has a negative effect on the nervous system making people aggressive, worried, unhappy and being unable to focus on daily tasks, causing a disruption of the daily routine.

Now that we are aware of some of the harmful effects of air pollution, there are some ways we can reduce these negative effects:

A) Stay indoors whenever possible, keep your doors and windows closed to stop the polluted air from entering your home.

B) Avoid being in industrial areas where there is a lot of smoke and vehicular traffic.

C) It is difficult to do, but try to cut down on travelling by car and use a face mask to protect yourself when you are outdoors.