How to breath better when you live in a big city?

Question

We know that big cities have bad effects on health, due to their poor quality of air.

The main pollutants we find in the air are PM10, nitrogen dioxyde and ozone. These three pollutants hazardous to health, can cause respiratory disorders, cardiovascular diseases , lung cancers and lead to early death (2 million people die each year because of pollution in large cities).

My question is: how can I avoid or reduce the risks of having my health deteriorated because of a bad quality of air?

For example:

• does leave open the window of my room all day is dangerous for me ?
• should I avoid walking or running along traffic queues ?
• does having indoor plants can benefit me ?
• Is wearing a mask the days of high pollution really useful?

I would like to group under this topic the best tips and tricks to breathe better every day . If the subject becomes too big, I will divide it into several questions.

Answer 1

Leave open the window of my room all day is dangerous for me ?

No. There are even more particles in a confined room that there is outside.

Should I avoid walking or running along traffic queues ?

Yes indeed. Forests and parcs are recommended. Trees eat up CO2 during night, so the air is a bit healthier.

Does having indoor plants can benefit me ?

Yes, for the same reasons I mentioned previously. However, don't expect too much...

Is wearing a mask the days of high pollution really useful?

Depends on the mask, I guess. It should be able to retain at least some of the particles. But I am no expert in pollution mask. Some companies appear having developed high end technology in that.

The improvements you can get depends on how much you put efforts in this, the way of life (lot of sports ?) and the quality of your city air. However, risk isn't reduced that much.

A bit of an arbitrary example:

Risk of lung cancer (RLC) in a not so polluted city = 1%

RLC in a polluted city = 3%

RLC in a polluted city with appropriate measures = 2.5%