Environmental pollutants and their effects on human health

Shilpa S Shetty; Deepthi D; Harshitha S; Shipra Sonkusare; Prashanth B Naik; Suchetha Kumari N; Harishkumar Madhyastha

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19496

Environmental pollutants and their effects on human health

Heliyon. 2023 Aug 25;9(9):e19496. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19496. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Shilpa S Shetty¹, Deepthi D¹, Harshitha S¹, Shipra Sonkusare², Prashanth B Naik³, Suchetha Kumari N^{1

4}, Harishkumar Madhyastha⁵

Affiliations

¹ CentralResearch laboratory, Cellomics Laboratory, K. S. Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru., Karnataka, India.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, K. S. Hegde Medical Academy, Mangaluru, 576018, Karnataka, India.
³ Department of Pediatrics, K. S. Hegde Medical Academy, Mangaluru, 576018, Karnataka, India.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, K. S. Hegde Medical Academy, Mangaluru, 576018, Karnataka, India.
⁵ Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.

Abstract

Numerous environmental contaminants significantly contribute to human disease, affecting climate change and public and individual health, resulting in increased mortality and morbidity. Because of the scarcity of information regarding pollution exposure from less developed nations with inadequate waste management, higher levels of poverty, and limited adoption of new technology, the relationship between pollutants and health effects needs to be investigated more. A similar situation is present in many developed countries, where solutions are only discovered after the harm has already been done and the necessity for safeguards has subsided. The connection between environmental toxins and health needs to be better understood due to difficulties in quantifying exposure levels and a lack of systematic monitoring. Different pollutants are to blame for both chronic and acute disorders. Additionally, research becomes challenging when disease problems are seen after prolonged exposure. This review aims to discuss the present understanding of the association between environmental toxins and human health in bridging this knowledge gap. The genesis of cancer and the impact of various environmental pollutants on the human body's cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, prenatal, and neural health are discussed in this overview.

Keywords: Disease; Health; Morbidity; Mortality; Particulate matter(PM); Pollution.

Publication types

Review