Pollution

Our planet is changing in ways that are unprecedented in history. In the face of impending climate catastrophe, how the health of our planet affects the health of us as humans is becoming starkly apparent. Increasing air pollution levels and microplastics are just two examples of the threat to our health and the planet.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is a major cause of death and disease. The health effects range from increased hospital admissions, to increased risk of premature death, mainly from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections in children.¹ Shockingly, air pollution is currently estimated to cause 36,000 premature deaths in the UK every year.²

Many people don’t realize that much of our exposure to air pollutants, which contaminate both the food and water supply,³ is in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Air pollutants are quickly cleared from the lungs, before being swallowed,⁴ so that a large proportion of pollutants that are inhaled are ingested having potential consequences for gut health. Emerging research suggests an association between particulate matter (PM) air-pollution and GI diseases including appendicitis,⁵ colorectal cancer,⁶ and increased hospitalization of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).⁷ Studies demonstrate that exposure to PM increases gut permeability (leaky gut) and the production of free-radicals, increases the release of pro-inflammatory compounds, and causes colon cell death.⁸ A recent study also showed that exposure to PM alters gut bacteria composition along the GI tract, for example, reducing beneficial Lactobacillus species.⁹ A significant reduction in Firmicute bacteria was also observed, which is in the same trend reported in patients with inflammatory diseases, such as IBD.⁹  These microbial changes could potentially explain some of the negative health effects of high levels of air pollution.

Friends of the Earth have shared some great tips to help protect you from air pollution:

Microplastics, are tiny pieces of plastic measuring less than 5mm, some manufactured this way, but the majority released into the environment when larger pieces of discarded plastic breakdown.³ Research is now demonstrating that these microplastics can spread through the food chain, from the soil, water, packaging and synthetic materials.The long-term effects of plastic ingestion on the human body and accumulation the gut in particular are not yet well documented but research in animals has raised significant concerns. Studies have shown intestinal accumulation of microplastics and their subsequent toxins in marine animals to induce inflammation,¹¹ oxidative stress,¹¹ mucosal damage,¹² increased permeability (leaky gut),¹² metabolism disruption,¹² impaired breeding and immune function,¹³ and in some early death.¹³ Microplastics have been show to alter the diversity and composition of the intestinal microflora in a number of species including crustaceans,¹⁴ fish¹² and mice.^15,16 This has concerning implications for the long-term health of the gut if the same were to be the case in humans.

Making Positive Changes

'We don't need a handful of people helping the planet perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly. And the same goes for sustainable living - we don't need a handful of people living off grid, growing their own lentils, and weaving their own garments from nettles, we need millions of us switching to renewable energy, remembering our reusable water bottles, eating less meat and buying a bit (a lot) less of the unnecessary.'

Here at Bio-Kult HQ in the UK we're always looking to make a positive impact on our planet and do our bit, here are a few ways that we do this:

• Our site in Somerset runs entirely on 100% renewable energy.
• We are committed to 0% waste to landfill, we achieve this by recycling and sending our non-recyclable waste to a Refuge site to generate green energy.
• We're regularly reviewing and assessing our processes and procedures to ensure, where possible, we reduce the environmental impacts of our operations.

Individuals within the company have also implemented some personal changes such as:

• Cycling to and from work.
• Exchanging clothing at 'Swap Shops'.
• Growing fruit and veg at home in a bid to reduce plastic packaging from supermarkets.
• Shopping in local independent food stores which promote re-fill options.
• Utilizing re-usable items such as zero waste eye make-up remover pads and beeswax wraps.
• Investing in reusable lunch items such as bamboo or glass food containers and stainless steel water bottles. 
• Supporting local charities which encourage environmentally friendly living.

References

_{1. WHO | Ambient air pollution: Health impacts. WHO 2018. https://www.who.int/airpollution/ambient/health-impacts/en/ (accessed Aug 14, 2019).}

_{2. Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. Associations of long-term average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide with mortality - A report by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. 2018.}

_{3. Beamish LA, Osornio-Vargas AR, Wine E. Air pollution: An environmental factor contributing to intestinal disease. J Crohn’s Colitis 2011; 5: 279–86.}

_{4. Möller W, Häußinger K, Winkler-Heil R, et al. Mucociliary and long-term particle clearance in the airways of healthy nonsmoker subjects. J Appl Physiol 2004; 97: 2200–6.}

_{5. Kaplan GG, Dixon E, Panaccione R, et al. Effect of ambient air pollution on the incidence of appendicitis. CMAJ 2009; 181: 591–7.}

_{6. López-Abente G, García-Pérez J, Fernández-Navarro P, Boldo E, Ramis R. Colorectal cancer mortality and industrial pollution in Spain. BMC Public Health 2012; 12: 589.}

_{7. Ananthakrishnan AN, McGinley EL, Binion DG, Saeian K. Ambient air pollution correlates with hospitalizations for inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011; 17: 1138–45.}

_{8. Mutlu EA, Engen PA, Soberanes S, et al. Particulate matter air pollution causes oxidant-mediated increase in gut permeability in mice. Part Fibre Toxicol 2011; 8: 19.}

_{9. Mutlu EA, Comba IY, Cho T, et al. Inhalational exposure to particulate matter air pollution alters the composition of the gut microbiome. Environ Pollut 2018; 240: 817–30.}

_{10. Plastic N. assessing plastic ingestion from nature to people (AN ANALYSIS for WWF). 2019. www.newcastle.edu.au/.}

_{11. Qiao R, Sheng C, Lu Y, Zhang Y, Ren H, Lemos B. Microplastics induce intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and disorders of metabolome and microbiome in zebrafish. Sci Total Environ 2019; 662: 246–53.}

_{12. Qiao R, Deng Y, Zhang S, et al. Accumulation of different shapes of microplastics initiates intestinal injury and gut microbiota dysbiosis in the gut of zebrafish. Chemosphere 2019; 236: 124334.}

_{13. Kühn S, Bravo Rebolledo EL, van Franeker JA. Deleterious Effects of Litter on Marine Life. In: Marine Anthropogenic Litter. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015: 75–116.}

_{14. Liu Z, Yu P, Cai M, et al. Effects of microplastics on the innate immunity and intestinal microflora of juvenile Eriocheir sinensis. Sci Total Environ 2019; 685: 836–46.}

_{15. Lu L, Wan Z, Luo T, Fu Z, Jin Y. Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic lipid metabolism disorder in mice. Sci Total Environ 2018; 631–632: 449–58.}

_{16. Jin Y, Lu L, Tu W, Luo T, Fu Z. Impacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice. Sci Total Environ 2019; 649: 308–17.}