Effects of air pollutants on lung inflammation and oxidative stress

The particulate matter that makes up air pollution enters the lungs through breathing, causing lung inflammation and oxidative stress. This review focuses on the effects of air pollution on lung health, rather than look at the composition of particulate matter, as per the literature review checklist. Utilizing online databases to identify systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and scoping reviews, 516 articles were shortlisted and 62 articles were selected using the PRISMA 2020 flowchart. The results of the study provided a detailed look at the composition of particulate matter that causes air pollution and the mechanisms of related diseases that can occur when it enters the human body. In particular, PM causes inflammation in the lungs and generates oxidative stress, which leads to adverse effects such as chronic lung disease and DNA damage. Finally, we proposed the tasks that individuals should perform to respond to related diseases caused by air pollutants and the implications for future research methods and directions.