Emphysema is considered a smoker’s disease. But turns out, exposure to air pollution may lead to the same changes in the lung that give rise to emphysema.
A new study published today in JAMA finds that long-term exposure to slightly elevated levels of air pollution is linked to accelerated development of lung damage, even among people who have never smoked.
The study looked at the health effects of breathing in various pollutants including ground-level ozone, the main component of smog.
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