How to protect yourself from the raging red plague? Learn 12 tricks to prevent dirty air from killing you

The haze is coming, and the distance is covered with fog, and the air quality is "purple." The weather forecast warns the public that they should close the doors and windows when staying indoors, and be sure to wear a mask when going out to avoid inhaling bad air. , harmful to health.

The fetus relies on the umbilical cord to obtain oxygen and nutrients to maintain life. The newborn comes into the world and loudly declares that it can breathe on its own, which illustrates the necessity of air for the human body. Normal people breathe about 16 to 20 times per minute. Breathing rates that are too fast or too slow may indicate abnormalities in the body; long-term inhalation of bad air will certainly harm your health.

Breathing in bad air may shorten your life

Convener of public affairs of the Taiwan Association of Thoracic and Intensive Care Medicine, Associate Medical Director of Luodong Pok Oi Hospital Qiu Guoqin, chief physician and director of the Department of Internal Medicine, said that air is inhaled through the nasal cavity, and the airflow passes through the pharynx, larynx and other upper respiratory tracts, enters the trachea, bronchi, lungs and other lower respiratory tracts, and in the alveoli of the small airways of the lungs, it meets the blood transported by the heart to the lungs Carry out gas exchange, transport oxygen to the blood for oxygenation, and remove carbon dioxide from the body, continuously circulating to maintain life.

To be able to live, a person must have two major vital signs such as heartbeat and breathing, which correspond to the heart and lungs that support the operation of the human body. Among them, the heart is responsible for promoting blood circulation throughout the body, while the lungs are responsible for gas exchange. An important organ, air can be called the source of life.

When the lungs perform gas exchange, if more harmful substances are inhaled, it may cause lung damage in the long run, leading to pulmonary fibrosis, and even lung lesions, affecting the lungs' ventilation function, leading to Cardiopulmonary function and oxygenation capacity are reduced, and it is easy to feel out of breath when breathing normally. Over time, the functions of various organs in the body will gradually decline, and life span will be shortened.

What is bad air?

Air pollutants can be roughly divided into indoor and outdoor. Common sources of indoor air pollution include carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) produced by the combustion of gas stoves, electric stoves, heaters and other equipment. and nitrogen dioxide (NO2); volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde (HCHO), produced by home decoration, furniture, or the use of paints, pesticides, detergents, and hair sprays; and oil fumes produced by cooking food , smoking, human and cat and dog pet hair, mold, dust mites and other organisms. The main sources of outdoor air pollution are factory manufacturing, exhaust gases from automobiles and motorcycles, as well as pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture.

The air quality is poor, so wear a mask when going out

Based on the monitoring data from monitoring stations in various places, the Environmental Protection Agency analyzed the ozone (O3), fine suspended particulates (PM2.5), and suspended particles in the air that day. Values ??such as particulate matter (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations are converted into air quality indicators (AQI).

AQI indicators are divided into six levels based on their impact on human health. The following is a detailed description of each level.