Respiratory Diseases

The health of your lungs and entire respiratory system is affected by the quality of the air you breathe. Aside from the oxygen you need, air contains other substances such as pollutants, which can be harmful.

Your lungs are built to bring large quantities of air (on average, 400 million litres in a lifetime) into the body, to deliver oxygen. Air pollutants can hinder the lungs from being able to collect and deliver oxygen. But more importantly, they can cause long-term tissue damage or exacerbate existing health concerns such as:

• Asthma
• Emphysema and chronic bronchitis known together as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The young, old and smokers are generally the most at risk from poor air quality. People with conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are particularly vulnerable. Around 12 percent of all hospital admissions in Canada are linked to respiratory diseases.