Click play to listen to the Altitude and Healthy Air: Air Quality at Higher Elevations article.
Mountain air has a storied reputation for being so fresh and so clean. While that’s often true, air quality at higher elevations is also at risk of becoming severely polluted and a threat to the health of humans and ecosystems, alike.
Large cities are prone to ground-level ozone, or smog, created by power plants, refineries, and automobiles. Take Denver, for example. At 5,280 feet above sea level, it’s one of the highest altitude major cities in the United States. And with a population of over 700,000, there’s an immense amount of human activity adding pollutants to the air. In 2021, Denver was named the eighth most ozone-polluted city in the country by the American Lung Association.
This is due in part to the fact that, at high altitudes, atmospheric pressure is reduced, and oxygen is less available (commonly referred to as the air being “thinner”). This has a couple of effects on air quality for the people in the area. First, combustion engines perform less efficiently than they do at lower altitudes, causing an increase in emissions. Second, UV rays from the sun have a greater impact at high elevations, leading to an increase in photochemical smog, the result of airborne pollutants reacting with sunlight.
Coupled with lower oxygen levels, this airborne pollution can have more of an impact on people’s health. It also can impact ecosystems, as higher levels of nitrogen in the air (as part of smog) causes soil acidification and makes it more difficult for certain native plants to get the nutrients they need to thrive.
While mitigating the impacts on the climate will take large-scale policy changes, there are steps people can take to ensure the health of the air they breathe at higher elevations.
To experience the safety and peace of mind that comes with Healthy Air in your home, consider an AprilAire whole-house ventilation system. It pushes out dirty, stagnant air and pulls in fresh air from outside. To remove contaminants from outdoor air, an AprilAire whole-house air purifier paired with MERV 16 air filters captures smog and air pollution.
For more information on the air quality in your region, check out the AprilAire State of Your Air tool. And find a Healthy Air Professional near you to get started on your Healthy Air journey today.
Mountain air is fresher because it harbors less air pollution and harmful gases. Although it may feel fantastic to breathe in the clean air, it actually contains less oxygen than air at lower levels. Transitioning to a high altitude
high altitude
Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People can respond to high altitude in different ways.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Altitude_sickness
At a high altitude, atmospheric pressure is reduced, making oxygen less available, commonly referred to as being “thinner.” This “thinner” air is one of the more classic poor air quality indicators and can leave lasting effects on people living in the area.
Air pollution is affected by change in altitude. Cities with surface elevations above 1500 meters have atmospheric pressures which are approximately fifteen percent (15%) below pressures at sea level.
High altitudes can cause low oxygen saturation levels or desaturation of an individual's blood. It happens because of low atmospheric pressure at high altitudes. Oxygen saturation levels refer to the extent hemoglobin is bound or saturated to oxygen.
Air pressure is higher at lower altitudes. Air density is higher at lower altitudes. There is more space between air molecules at higher altitudes. There is less oxygen to breathe at the top of a high mountain than there is at sea level.
Dr. Elizabeth Egan in her excellent book, Notes from Higher Grounds, shares that “the optimal altitude at which to live is somewhere between 2,100 m (6,900 feet) and 2,500 m (8,200 feet).” Estes Park is in that sweet spot between these two figures, at 7,500 feet above sea level.
AQI values at and below 100 are generally considered to be satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is considered to be unhealthy, at first for members of populations at greatest risk of a health effect, then for the entire population as AQI values get higher (greater than 150).
Vehicle and industrial emissions from fossil fuel combustion, cigarette smoke, and burning organic matter, such as wildfires, all contain PM. A subset of PM, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is 30 times thinner than a human hair. It can be inhaled deeply into lung tissue and contribute to serious health problems.
Harmful emissions come from heating, cooling and powering businesses and industrial operations, as well as from manufacturing processes. Wildfires, flooding, hurricanes and other natural events can create unhealthy air, especially for people with lung disease. And the cleanup often adds to the challenge.
Transitioning to a high altitude can put a strain on people that are used to living at low altitudes. Although altitude sickness can impact anyone regardless of health or age, the effects often become more pronounced with age because of an increase in underlying conditions.
As it turns out, along with being thinner, research suggests people worldwide who live at high altitudes have a lower incidence of both cancer and heart disease than folks who live closer to sea level.
While 8000 feet (2500 meters) is considered the usual threshold altitude for HAI, some persons are more sensitive to lower oxygen levels and may become ill at altitudes of 5000 to 7000 feet (1500 to 2100 meters). It is usually possible to prevent HAI by ascending slowly and allowing your body to adjust as you go.
This suggests that it isn't inherently dangerous to adapt to a high altitude and then descend quickly to a low level, as the body will make use of the greater oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood to do more physical activity or lower the breathing rate to reduce the intake of oxygen.
If you plan to travel to an elevation higher than 8,000 feet above sea level or higher, you may be at risk for altitude illness, which is caused by low oxygen levels in the air. Below are tips you can follow to prevent altitude illness.
While California's air pollution regulations are among the strictest in the country, topography and geography combine to trap air pollutants in its Central Valley. Westerly winds often blow that pollution into Yosemite, especially during the summer.
Is smoke worse at higher or lower elevations? Kines says that smoke levels are generally greater in high-elevation areas than low ones, but not always. “Usually when you get smoke it's higher up in the atmosphere and it comes across as haze,” he says.
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