Question: What are the worse kind of effects that pollution has on our lungs?

Liza Selley answered on 20 Jun 2018:

Hi Beccateears,

Pollution affects our lungs in lots of horrible ways but I think the worst is when it causes a disease called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (or COPD for short). This disease is very disabling as sufferers have to use oxygen tanks to help them breathe. COPD has two main effects on the lungs 1) it prevents them from stretching in and out as they should and 2) it results in lots of serious chest infections.

When your lungs can’t stretch it is difficult to fill your air sacs with fresh air for gas exchange. This happens because air pollution inflames the lungs – it encourages white blood cells to enter the airways and try to remove the pollution. They do this by releasing lots of chemicals that are designed to break down dust and germs that get into the lung. Unfortunately the chemicals can’t tell the difference between the pollution and the lungs so they also attack the walls of the air sacs, damaging them so that they no longer stretch.

Air pollution contributes to the chest infections by preventing those same white blood cells from destroying bacteria. The white blood cells are supposed to eat up anything that gets inside the lungs but when they are full of pollution they can’t fit in the bacteria as well. This means that bacteria can grow in the lungs.