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Effects of these pollutants on health: Sulfur Dioxide

Monday, 24 December 2012 speech bubble

Effects of these pollutants on health

Effects of Sulfur Dioxide

• On Health:
With exposure to Sulfur Dioxide, it might cause respiratory illness, alterations in pulmonary defenses, and aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease.
When breathed in, Sulfur Dioxide irritates the nose, throat, and airways, thus causing symptoms of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or a tight feeling around the chest within 10 or 15 minutes. People with asthma or other respiratory problems, are most greatly affected, with increased respiratory symptoms and disease, difficulty in breathing, and possibly even death.
A short exposure to low concentrations may produce a reversible decrease in lung function. However, when exposed to very high concentrations of Sulfur Dioxide, it can cause severe airway obstruction, hypoxemia, pulmonary edema, and death in minutes.