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| Air Pollution is Effecting Sense of Smell |
New York: Air Pollution is affecting the environment in many different ways and unfortunately another dangerous aspect has also come to the light that prolonged breathing in dense and dirty air can double the risk of affecting the sense of smell.
The sense of smell is a great gift of nature. When the sense of smell disappears, it is called anosmia in medical parlance. Patients with this condition can also suffer from depression.
Dr. Ramanathan of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says he surveyed a number of people, many of whom had lived in traffic and pollution areas for some time. The most dangerous particles of air pollution are PM (particulate matter). It means taking in the air can double the risk of sniffing as compared to normal conditions. They can contain dust, ash, smoke, soot, organic compounds and metal particles, all in the range of 2.5 ppm.
Science has shown that PM 2.5 causes blood pressure, heart disease and many other diseases. Dr. Ramanathan and his colleagues surveyed 2,690 people for more than three consecutive years. Of these, 538 lost their sense of smell, with an average age of 54, and the majority were men.
When these individuals were examined in detail, it was found that most of the people who had lost their sense of smell had been living in important places of air pollution for a long time.