Air Pollution - What Causes Copd: Smoking Cessation
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Air pollution
Exposure to toxic fumes and industrial smoke and dust for many years can increase the risk for COPD. The main offenders of everyday exposure are sulfur dioxide — a chemical emitted in car exhaust and factory smoke — and black smoke, which contains particulate material like soot that is part of air pollution. Cadmium, a chemical used in some factories, is believed to increase the risk of emphysema. In developing countries, a significant cause of COPD is cooking in unventilated spaces, where smoke from cooking fills the indoor air. Compared with smoking, however, air pollution is a minor cause of the disease.
| Last updated: | May 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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