Each year, the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) celebrates World Environmental Health Day; this year, it falls on September 26, Friday. The theme this year is powerful: “Clean Air, Healthy People.”
Among the numerous factors that define environmental health, air quality is a prime concern because it affects everyone. Poor air quality has serious long-term effects, making it essential to raise awareness and protect the health of millions of people.
2025 State of the Air Findings
The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report, released in April, reveals that a staggering 156 million Americans (46% of the population) are living in areas that received a failing grade for ozone or particle pollution. Alarmingly, this represents an increase of 25 million people compared with 2024.
According to the ALA, both ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births and impaired cognitive functioning later in life. Particle pollution is also a known cause of lung cancer.
Exposure to high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide can irritate the respiratory system, worsening and inducing conditions like asthma and reducing lung function. Soot can penetrate deep into the lungs, aggravating respiratory diseases and increasing the risk of heart problems.
Ground-level ozone pollution (smog) is a powerful respiratory irritant. Inhaling ozone can cause shortness of breath and trigger coughing and asthma attacks. Rising temperatures driven by climate change make ozone both more likely to form and harder to clean up. More than 125 million people (37% of the nation’s population) lived in areas with unhealthy ozone pollution, an increase of 24.6 million over last year’s report.
Recent Studies Link Poor Air to Poor Health
Several recent studies have explored how poor air quality exacerbates systemic illnesses and increases risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia.
One study found that long-term exposure to airborne toxins PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and ozone (O3) was associated with higher hospital admissions for lower respiratory tract infections in adults. While poor air quality is already a known risk factor for respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), its role in lower respiratory infections affecting the lungs, bronchi and alveoli has been less thoroughly documented in adults.
Air pollution also appears to significantly impair cognitive function. A large-scale review involving approximately 30 million people found that common pollutants like PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and soot are all linked to a significantly higher risk of dementia. Amongst these, PM2.5 was identified as the most dangerous particulate, as it can lodge in the lungs and cross the blood-brain barrier.
Another study found that long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) correlates with lower scores in key cognitive abilities, particularly language skills. Additional research highlights the insidious effects of airborne particulates, one study showed that exposure to higher levels of air pollution can impair concentration almost immediately within four hours of inhalation. Interestingly, while selective attention and emotion recognition were affected by air pollution, working memory was not. This indicates that some brain functions are more resilient to short-term pollution exposure.
5 Ways to Improve Resilience to Environmental Challenges
While individuals may not be able to directly improve the environmental conditions in which they live and work, they can improve their bodies resilience to poor air quality through consumer-centric dietary supplements. At Nutriventia, providing a holistic approach to elevating and extending wellness for all is our core mission.
SLEEP: According to a published study, air pollution can directly impact sleep quality and duration. In a review of 15 studies encompassing 133,695 participants found that particulate matter and gasses such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone impaired sleep quality through impacts on the central nervous system, central respiratory control center and both allergic and non-allergic reactions. Another analysis of UK Biobank participants identified PM2.5 as a risk factor for sleep disorders, and both PM 2.5 and PM10 were linked to reduced sleep duration. The authors concluded that reducing exposure to particulate matter may improve sleep hours.
Solution — Melotime™ is Designed to support 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Melotime™ releases 50% of the dose within the first hour, followed by subsequent hourly releases A recent study showed that Melotime™ achieved higher plasma concentrations during the delayed sleep phase from 4 to 8 hours and had a half-life of 5.10 hours compared to just 1.01 hours for common immediate-release melatonin.
STRESS: Particulate matter and ozone can exacerbate stress responses by overstimulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to release glucocorticoid stress hormones (e.g., cortisol). [SD1] Researchers have noted substantial overlap between stress-related diseases and illnesses associated with exposure to air pollutants.
Murine research examined the link between air pollutants and stress response. In one, animal models have demonstrated elevated levels of corticosterone and activated the stress centers in the brain. Another study confirmed that even a single exposure to either particulate or gaseous pollutants can trigger the HPA axis to produce systemic effects. A third study finds that epinephrine amounts increase by short-term exposure to ozone.
Solution – Prolanza™ a once daily adaptogen supports life stress management by reducing cortisol levels with a single 300 mg dose. ProlanzaTM is clinically proven to provide prolonged adaptogenic support, making it ideal for managing all-day stress.
IMMUNITY: Even in healthy people, exposure to fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxide can trigger chronic rhinosinusitis, as well as allergic and non-allergic rhinitis.
Solution — C-Fence™: Vitamin C is the most-researched nutrient for immune-support vitamin. C-Fence features modified-release technology providing releases a small but effective dose of vitamin C for 24 hours. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacokinetic study participants taking once-daily 500 mg dose of C-Fence showed significantly higher vitamin C plasma levels than placebo, remaining well above baseline for up to 24 hours.
INFLAMMATION: Research shows that PM2.5 stimulates inflammatory responses in epithelial cells in the nasal cavity. One study found the correlation between traffic-related pollutants and pro-inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen, while both traffic and secondary particles were associated with CRP, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1.
Solution — TurmXTRA™ active : TurmXTRA™ active Nutriventia’s proprietary water-dispersible turmeric extract is validated by multiple preclinical, human pharmacokinetic and clinical trials to manage inflammatory response. Research has established that 250mg TurmXTRA™ active is bioequivalent to 1575mg of standard turmeric extract offering consumers exceptional value.
COGNITION: Research suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution may impair cognitive function. One of the studies, associated impaired cognitive performance in verbal and math tests to long-term exposure to air pollution. Another study of adults residing in Los Angeles found that air pollution impedes cognitive abilities. They demonstrated that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (>20 ppb) was associated with lower logical memory and even low levels of ozone were linked to lower execution function.
Solution – CaffXtend™: Cognitive performance depends on sustained energy. Naturally sourced CaffXtend™ provides all-day alertness. In a randomized, crossover, single-dose study CaffXtend™ reduced mental fatigue and tiredness for up to 12 hours compared to immediate-release caffeine, avoiding the common “caffeine crash” and feelings of jitteriness..
Conclusion
While we cannot avoid air pollution or ozone, we can use supplements that support key areas of health and well-being impacted by poor air quality. Nutriventia’s holistic approach provides targeted support for sleep, stress, immunity, inflammation, and cognition helping the body better withstand environmental challenges.
Reviewed by Sneha Sawant Desai, PhD
