Download AIR POLLUTION AND ITS HEALTH IMPACT ON MALAYSIA

AIR POLLUTION AND ITS HEALTH IMPACT ON MALAYSIA POPULATION
Air quality adversely affects human health. Nearly 1.4 billion urban residents in the world breathe below the
World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards. Globally, the mortality from the exposure to
outdoor air pollution is ranged from 200,000 to 570,000.
In Malaysia, air pollution had been constantly an overwhelming issue for legislators, aviation industry, and
the citizens. It is constantly making headlines in major newspapers and subsequently heightens the anxiety
of the citizens, particularly during the haze episode.
Particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were reported as the predominant pollutants. Power
plants, factories, waste incinerators, vehicle, building activities; fires and natural windblown dust are some
of the main sources of PM.
Exposure to particulate matter smaller than 10 microns (PM10) for a short term had been reported to be
detrimental to health, especially PM2.5. Due to the smaller size, PM2.5 had been proven to be responsible
for a number of upper respiratory ailments like a runny nose, sinusitis, sore throat, wet cough as well as
lower respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, dry cough, phlegm and many more.
Increased particulate exposure can lead to disease like bronchitis, pneumonia and cardiovascular
problems. Certain airborne particles such as arsenic, chromates, particles bearing PAHs, radioactive
particles can cause carcinoma of lung tissues.
Concentration of PM2.5 had been associated with increased incident of (1) wheeze, (2) doctor-diagnosed
asthma, (3) increased pulse pressure, (4) increased systolic blood pressure and (5) increased risk of
premature mortality (Brauer et al., 2007; Fann et al., 2012; Kannan, 2010). In addition to that, sulphur
dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the ambient air also cause adverse effects on human health.
Exposure to low levels of SO2 is known to affect breathing. It caused irritation by stimulating nerves in the
lining of nose, throat and lung airways. Health effect worsens with the increasing exposure time. It had
been associated with the upper and lower respiratory diseases, the increment in the number of coughs,
asthma and bronchitis.
NOx gives a similar effect, and may impair the function of the immune system in a higher level of exposure.
Apart from that, the eyes are also known to be very vulnerable to air pollutions.
Air-borne pollutants are a great threat to the eye as a whole and the cornea in particular. Previous studies
had shown that people travelling in highly polluted areas and exposed to high level of pollutants are likely to
suffer from a significantly high incidence of subclinical ocular surface disorders.
Particles from traffic sources are considered amongst the most damaging components of ambient PM
because of its smaller size in nature. These physical properties make them highly reactive toward organic
surfaces and structures, and persuade oxidative stress on human skin. Previous studies had proven the
significant correlation between particulate matter exposure (traffic particle and soot) and extrinsic skin
ageing signs, such as pigment spots on face, dryness, nasolabial folds, and wrinkles.
Skin irritations were reported upon contact with environmental irritants. In atopic individual, defects in
epidermal barrier cause the loss of water (transepidermal water loss; TEWL) from skin, and resulting in
itchiness. As a result, it causes more penetration of irritants.
Several environmental pollutants such as mercury, pesticides and pharmaceutical residues had been
associated with anxiety, attention deficiency, hyperactivity and depression. A recent study had quantified
461 DNA adducts from the umbilical cord and associated prenatal exposure to air-bone polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAH) to behaviour outcomes. It was concluded that the prenatal exposure to PAHs could
result in depression, anxiety and attention problems, which translates later years in academic performance
and peer relationships. In a separate study, prenatal exposure to PAH has been significantly inversely
associated with full-scale IQ and verbal IQ scores.
Apart from depression, air pollution was also said to be one of the factors that affect the human appetite
which subsequently affect the food intake. However, the relation between air pollution and food intake is not
well studied. Previous studies had proven that the association effect air pollution on insulin resistance and
glucose intolerance.
Sun et al. (2009) did their study on PM2.5-exposed mice and concluded that due to the inflammatory
response and presence of activated macrophages in adipose tissue of PM-exposed mice, the exposure to
pollutants may regulate appetite and energy homoeostasis. This conclusion is supported by another study,
which found that air pollution particles induce cardiovascular diseases through inflammatory pathways.
In view of all the impacts that are brought to us by air pollution, necessary measures must be taken in order
to stimulate the awareness among public and cultivate a good habit it preserving our environment.
COENZYME Q10 AND ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECT
Stress is conceived as an aversive stimulus capable of altering physiological homoeostasis. The ability to
cope with such stressful stimuli is a crucial determinant of health and disease.
Intensive stress has detrimental effects on the organism by causing cellular and tissue injury. Accumulating
evidence has implied that the production of free radicals plays a critical role in these processes. One of the
reasons for the stress-induced enhancement of free radicals may be the elevation of nitric oxide (NO)
production.
NO may interact with oxygen, superoxide anion, and thiol compounds, generating reactive nitrogen species
(NOx), peroxynitrite (ONOO-) and S-nitrosothiols including S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). Lipid peroxidative
effect of NO may be mediated through ONOO-, which is a potent and long-lived oxidant.
Under normal conditions, there is also a natural defence system provided by several enzymes such as
superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione
peroxidase (GP) which performs a vital role in detoxification of free radicals. However, stress has been
shown to cause depletion of the glutathione-based antioxidant defence and a decrease in the level of
Vitamin C.
The deleterious effects of an imbalance between the free radical production and the available antioxidant
defence capacity termed oxidative stress has been implicated in the stress as well as in the pathogenesis
of several disease states. One of the important consequences of oxidative stress is the peroxidation of
membrane lipids. Since the retina and brain tissues include a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids,
this reaction produces marked damage to the structure and the function of the cell membranes in the
tissues.
The use of antioxidant-rich food or antioxidant food supplements has become immensely popular since
many diseases have been associated with oxidative stress. Therefore, in the last decade, an increasing
amount of attention has been focused on free radical scavengers that are able to protect against the
aberrant effects of free radicals.
Coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone, produced endogenously, is a ubiquitous compound vital to energy
metabolism. Most metabolically active tissues, such as the heart and immune system, are found to have
the highest levels of CoQ10. Early work reported that CoQ10 levels were modified with age and disease.
However, more recent work suggests that total CoQ10 may not be as important as reduced CoQ10 or the
ratio of reduced CoQ10 to total CoQ10.
The reduced form of CoQ10 ubiquinol functions as an antioxidant to reduce oxidative stress. It is also
thought to be lower in relation to total CoQ10 in individuals with various types of cancer, heart disease, and
neuromuscular disease. In metabolic syndrome, the levels of ubiquinol have been found to increase as an
adaptive response to oxidative stress.
The CoQ10 supplementation is considered beneficial for individuals using statin therapy due to the statininduced reduction in plasma CoQ10. However, due to its poor solubility in water and its relatively high
molecular weight (Mr=863) the oral bioavailability of CoQ10, when administered as a powder, is low.
In the past several years, extensive efforts have been made to improve the oral bioavailability of CoQ10.
Examples of formulation strategies aimed at improving the absorption of CoQ10 include oil-based
formulations, solubilised formulations, and molecular complexes. Several of these strategies have been
shown to improve the bioavailability of CoQ10 as evidenced by their enhanced plasma CoQ10 response. In
particular, supplements in which CoQ10 dispersed in oil generally have higher bioavailability followed by
solubilisation form.