With all this political talk, I bet you haven’t had time to think about your health and the environmental causes of illnesses. Just recently, I bumped into a statistic that shows that 2.5 million people die before age because of pollution. 47,000 people die every year because of respiratory diseases that are caused by particles in the atmosphere. Fine particulate matter causes 2 million people to die every year of lung cancer.

You won’t hear these numbers so often, simply because research studies are not built this way. They only calculate the deaths that are directly induced by environmental factors, shortly after exposure to threat. The reality is much more severe than that. The highest degree of pollution can be found in developing countries such as India or China.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that USA is pretty high on the black list. Every step of progress we’re enjoying is altered by a degree up in pollution; we can’t go back and live in the stone age, but we’re making it impossible for ourselves to live in the current times too.

Every industrial accident you hear of, every fire in the woods damages the environment even more; the air becomes toxic and no, it doesn’t take just hours for it to be safe for breathing, it takes months, provided that everything else runs smoothly. Don’t kid yourself; just because you can’t see pollution, it doesn’t mean that it’s not one of the biggest threats to your life.

There are things that can be done, at the national level, but more importantly, by each of us in his own household. Turn off the appliances you don’t use and don’t buy unnecessary plastic; if you still buy some – recycle it after use. Use solar panels during the warm season and water-based paint. Plant trees that will improve the quality of air. Test the house for radon – you can find more information about that from the local authorities.

There are small things you can do that can prolong your life. Every chore you do around the house – think about how you can do it in a more environmentally friendly manner. You’d think that it won’t matter for the whole situation – but if everybody would think that way, we would never get anything done. Besides, even the smaller changes can improve the environment around your house – if nobody else does, at least you will provide your family with safer air.