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Why are Memories Forgotten?

Do you remember what you ate for dinner two months ago? Or do you remember the last text message you sent to that friend you last talked to? For most of you, no, you don’t know, our minds are just simply not made to remember insignificant details, but some people can remember, but most forget. So why do we forget things, and how are they stored? Firstly, how are memories made in the first place? As much as we talk about the brain being this muscle being capable of being highly intelligent with an inner monologue and mental thinking capacity; most of our brain is made up of neurons.  According to the Brain Institute of Queensland, neurons are fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, responsible for the sensory input from the external world, relaying motor and thinking skills, transforming and relaying electrical signals for every step. When we experience something, the neurons in our brain physically interact with our senses, and create something called synapses, which are sto
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Air quality and its impact on public health in urban areas.

Air quality and its impact on public health in urban areas


Air quality is a significant public health concern in urban areas, where road emissions contribute the most to the degradation of air quality. Air pollution is increasing due to rapid urbanization, the manufacturing industry, and carbon emissions. The health effects of air pollution are serious, with one-third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease being due to air pollution. This is having an equivalent effect to that of smoking tobacco, and much higher than, say, the effects of eating too much salt. 

Here are some of the impacts of air quality on public health in urban areas:

-Respiratory Diseases

 Air pollution is related to adverse health effects, mainly due to increased exposure to air pollution. Environmental aspects provide a significant role in increasing the global incidence of respiratory diseases perceived in recent decades. Industry workers, street vendors, and people living near transportation stations and industries are particularly vulnerable.


Cardiovascular Diseases

 As urban air quality declines, the risk of stroke, heart disease, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, increases for the people who live in them. 

Cancer: Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer.

To help people better understand just how polluted the air is where they live, the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Environment, and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Breathe Life campaign developed an online pollution meter. The WHO’s Urban Health Initiative is focused on supporting cities with the data, tools, and capacity to select, implement, and track ‘clean and healthy’ policies at the city level. Better air quality will benefit all of us.


In summary, air quality is a significant public health concern in urban areas, with long-term exposure to air pollution being linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. It is important for cities to take actions to improve air quality to protect the health of their citizens.


Citations:

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-74524-9

[2] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9902165/

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516868/

[5] https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/05/un-health-agency-warns-of-rise-in-urban-air-pollution-with-poorest-cities-most-at-risk/

[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health

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