Solving Environmental Problems through Engineering

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Respiratory System

Giovanni Papini once was quoted saying “Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life.” Although, we claim that breathing is a great aspect of living, do we really know the system at which a breath comes from? The main source of breathing is the centerpiece of the respiratory system better known as the lungs. The other two parts of the respiratory system, muscles of respiration and the airway, all function in unison with the lungs to bring oxygen into the body and expel carbon dioxide. Each of the other parts are also comprised of different components of the anatomy, further making this a symphony of systems within the body. The lungs (see Figure 1) are the most essential piece of the symphony being that they allow us to breathe in oxygen. This is accomplished by the spongy pair of organs that are found lateral to the heart. The left lung is smaller and contains two lobes due to its placement next to the heart, while the right lung consists of three lobes and is larger. Both the left and right lung are surrounded by pleural membrane which allows for space and negative pressure to expand and contract relative to the body’s exterior. The inside of each lung contains around 30 million tiny, cup shaped sacs known as alveoli and are surrounded by capillaries.

It is a common belief that we breathe with our lungs alone, but in point of fact, the work of breathing is done by the whole body. The lungs play a passive role in the respiratory process. Their expansion is produced by an enlargement, mostly downward, of the thoracic cavity and they collapse when that cavity is reduced. Proper breathing involves the muscles of the head, neck, thorax, and abdomen. It can be shown that chronic tension in any part of the body's musculature interferes with the natural respiratory movements. (Alexander Lowen, The Voice of the Body).

The respiratory system encompasses three vital parts. Those parts are the head, trachea and the lungs.

The Respiratory System

Figure 1: The lungs, the most essential piece within the respiratory system.Source: Virginia Redwine Johnson

Indoor air pollution/air quality

When we think of air pollution it is easy for us to refer to sources outside. The six priority pollutants are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter of different size fractions, and sulfur dioxide (EPA.gov, 2020).  These pollutants can contribute to the quality of air. Sources include combustion from the industry, transportation emissions, agriculture side effects from farmers using machinery driven by fossil fuels, home heating, volcano eruptions, forest fires, metal smelting, aerosols and chlorofluorocarbons. These pollutants can compromise human health in various ways, but they are not the leading source causing poor health. That distinction belongs to indoor pollution from our homes. We spend more than 90% of our time inside of buildings or in cars escaping the elements outside—be that at work or home. We are inside where chemical and biological concentrations are greater than they are outdoors (Jordan Peccia, 2020).

Being indoors for a substantial amount of time, the air we breathe is being inundated with gases and particles. These gases and particles are the byproducts of various sources that we come into contact on a daily basis. The daily contact hinders us having optimal health. We are faced with some common contributors that effect the air quality according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The table ( Table 1) below displays some of the frequently studied contributors and the pollutants.

Common Contributors to Poor Air Quality

Table 1: Various sources of pollutants Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Poorly ventilated buildings can be filled with pet dander, combustion, overall building material and continuous moisture and humidity that causes mold growth.

The pollutants found in indoor air are similar to those found outdoors and in some instances actually come from outdoor sources. Yet, the pollutants measured in the highest concentrations indoors are those that arise from within buildings or their substructures (Nero, Jr, 1988).

These pollutants can drastically affect everyday life in hidden ways and result in health issues and even premature deaths. “Exposure to asbestos, carbon monoxide and radon can lead to preventable deaths” (American Lung Association, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and U.S. EPA, 1996, 1997: US. EPA 1993). These common contributors of poor air quality have a correlation amongst lower income neighborhoods. A lot of times these neighborhoods are the victims of time, maintenance, and innovation. Homes are not required to be inspected or equipped with improved amenities once they are built. This lends to families in this area being more susceptible to air pollutants within their own homes causing respiratory issues. These issues stem from outdated building materials, appliances (see Table 2 displaying combustion appliances) , older appliances, and subpar heating and cooling units. Other major contributors to poor air quality within the home could be poor ventilation, flooring material for instance linoleum and carpet pad containing asbestos or emitting volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s). Building materials and furnishings are more likely to release VOC’s pollutants at high or extremely low levels continuously. This combined with household cleaners, smoking and other hobbies that release pollutants immediately can present a myriad of pollutants that effect breathing. These pollutants impact health causing many children to develop respiratory problems such as asthma.

Chronic illness/asthma

Cough. Gasp. Wheeze. Gasp. Sigh. Wheeze. The chest is going up and down as a person attempts to breathe in and out…in and out. The person is fumbling for air while draping their arm across their chest aligned with their heart as to motion to saying the Pledge of Allegiance. The only difference is this isn’t to sing a song--- this is to signal distress in breathing.

“I can’t breathe!” “My chest is tightening… oh no, I’m choking!” “It is like a bad dream that I have absolutely no control over.” “It feels like someone is sitting on my chest and holding me down.” “I’m trying to push air out of my mouth, but the air seems stuck.” “It’s like I’m in a bad boxing match and all of my oxygen has disappeared, but it’s difficult to explain,” said the 9-year-old boy.

The struggle or fight for air is the classic sign of asthma or an asthma attack in which 47.5 percent of 18 and younger children with asthma experienced one or more asthma attacks in 2017. The boy’s experience with breathing and asthma is extremely common. Asthma has become apparent as a major health problem. There are nearly more than 300 million people in a world of 7 billion people that suffer from asthma. This astonishing number contributes to around 250,000 deaths from asthma each year (TedEd, 2019).

Asthma is debilitating because it causes the swelling of the airways which restricts air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. It makes one pause and gasp for air trying to gather their composure. This deadly disease can be triggered by allergens or air pollution irritants causing the onset of one having trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing, or having a tightness in their chest. Asthma is common in that data shows that one in every thirteen people suffer from asthma and one in twelve children have asthma. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 25 million Americans that have asthma and 8.4 percent of children with the incurable disease. These numbers have grown in the last thirty years causing enlightenment on a major health issue in America. Asthma is sadly more common in children than adults and is the leading chronic disease in children. The CDC states that asthma is more common amongst boys than girls and that there are currently about 6.2 million children 18 and under living with the chronic disease known as asthma.

The data entails that there are on average of ten Americans that die from asthma each day.

Asthma is more prevalent in African-Americans in the United States, and African Americans die from asthma at a higher rate than any other group. With the increased cases, African-Americans are three times more likely to succumb due to asthmatic related causes than the white population.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African American children had a death rate ten times that of non-Hispanic white children from asthma in 2015.

In 2013, about 13.8 million missed school days were attributed to asthma (AAFA.org, 2020). Asthma is the top reason for missed school days and it accounts for 9.8 million doctor’s visits, 188,968 discharges from the hospital inpatient care and 1.8 million emergency department visits each year (AAFA.org, 2020). African Americans are four times more likely to be hospitalized due to asthma compared to other groups. The minority groups, African Americans and Hispanics, are at the leading helm of asthma rates. There are various differences that minorities are faced with that could account for the increased asthma cases and why minorities have the highest asthma death rate. The data shows disparities found between minorities and white populations such as health, behavior causes and environmental links to asthma. Genetics play a role in one’s risk for the development of asthma due to the family’s history of the chronic illness. Another reason for the increased cases of asthma amongst African Americans and Hispanics is the absence of medical insurance, the inadequate use of medicine to treat the asthma or the shortfall of the continuation use of long-term asthma control medicines. Lastly, a major component in asthma cases in minorities is based on one’s environment around them. According to AAFA and the National Pharmaceutical Council, allergens in the air can trigger asthma attacks leading to chronic asthma. It also states that childhood asthma development and exacerbation is often associated with home allergens. Those allergens can be induced by allergens around the house such as dust mites, pets, cockroaches, mold, and tobacco smoke. These triggers, items their lungs are extra sensitive to can range from viral infections, irritating gases and particles in the air or allergies. Asthma children can react different to causes that may result in an asthma attack. Such triggers could derive from respiratory infections, common colds, cigarette smoke, pollen, mold, animal dander, feathers, dust, food, or even cockroach waste. Other possible triggers that result in narrowed airways causing difficulty to breathe could be from exposure to cold air or a sudden change in temperature, excitement, stress, exercise, or indoor and outdoor pollutants including the ozone and particle pollution (American Lung Association, 2020).

In the Bryan Independent School District, there are a number of students with asthma ranging from Pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. Bryan students may be more likely to develop asthma due to having more interaction with the industrial world. The students inhale various organisms in which contributes to their decline in health (see Figure 2). Statistically, the students live below the poverty line and live in areas where environmental pollutants and behavior add to their chronic illness. The data displays a higher number of asthma students amongst minority groups and boys within the district. The students with asthma in the district must have an asthma action plan. This is a daily asthma management plan that includes the educators, the doctor, and the student to manage and avoid interactions that may result in further medical attention due to an asthma attack.