Udara, Pencemaran, dan

Airborne Disease
2018 ABDUR RAHMAN
abd.rahman@ui.ac.id
Major Air Composition
 Clean Air Composition (1)
 In 1674, the English physician John
Mayow established that air is not a single
element but made up of different
substances;
 Air is a mixture of gases;
 Three elements make up over 99.9% of
the composition of dry air: nitrogen (N),
oxygen (O), and argon (Ar);
 Discovery of Air Substances (2)
 In general, the composition of clean
approximately consists of 79 % N, 20 % O,
and the remainder is a mixture of noble
gases, water vapour and CO2;
 Discovery of Air Substances (1)
 In the 1750s, the Scottish chemist Joseph
Black discovered that carbon dioxide is
present in air;
 In 1772, the Scottish chemist Daniel
Rutherford (Joseph Black’s student)
reported his discovery of “noxious air,”
which we now call nitrogen;
 Discovery of Air Substances (2)
 In 1774, oxygen was discovered by the
English chemist Joseph Priestley,
although two years earlier in Sweden Carl
Scheele had discovered oxygen (but had
not published his results);
 In 1785, Sir Henry Cavendish stated that
nitrogen in air could be reacted with
oxygen to form, ultimately, nitrous acid;
 But air has more substances than just O,
C, and N.
 Pencemaran Udara
 Menurunnya konsentrasi gas-gas yang
dibutuhkan kehidupan; atau
 Meningkatnya konsentrasi gas-gas
berbahaya; atau
 Menurunnya konsentrasi gas-gas yang
dibutuhkan kehidupan karena
meningkatnya konsentrasi gas-gas yang
berbahaya bagi kehidupan; atau
 Pencemaran udara adalah masuknya atau
dimasukkannya zat, energi, dan/atau
komponen lain ke dalam udara ambien
oleh kegiatan manusia, sehingga mutu
udara ambien turun sampai ke tingkat
tertentu yang menyebabkan udara ambien
tidak dapat memenuhi fungsinya (Bab I
Pasal 1 PP No. 41/1999 tentang
Pengendalian Pencemaan Udara).
 Airborne Diseases
 Udara yang tercemar mempermudah
penyebaran penyakit lewat udara
(airborne disease, ABD);
 ABDs are spread when droplets of
pathogens are expelled into the air due to
coughing, sneezing or talking;
 The pathogens could be bacteria, fungi, or
viruses, but they are all transmitted
through airborne contact.
 In most cases, an airborne disease is
contracted when someone breathes in
infected air;
 And a person also spreads the disease
through their breath, particularly by
sneezing and coughing, and through
phlegm;
 These facts make controlling these
diseases more difficult.
 ABDs of concern to emergency
responders include:
 Meningitis
 Chicken pox
 Tuberculoses
 Influenza
 Pneumonia/ARI
 Many of those diseases require prolonged
exposure for infection to occur, posing
only minimal threat to emergency
responders;
 But, there are preventive measures, such
as wearing masks or maximizing
ventilation that help reduce these risks.
 Pathogenic Mechanism of ABD
 Particles that cause ABDs are small
enough to cling to the air;
 The pathogens hang on dust particles,
moisture droplets, or on the breath until
they are picked up;
 They are also acquired by contact with
bodily fluids, such as mucus or phlegm;
 Once the pathogens are inside the body,
they multiply until someone has the
disease.
 Common Airborne Diseases (1)
Influenza: The seasonal "flu" virus spreads
easily from person to person. There are
many strains of the flu, and it continually
changes to adapt to the human immune
system;
The common cold: The condition called "a
cold" is usually caused by a rhinovirus.
There are many rhinoviruses, and the
strains change to make it easier to infect
humans;
 Common Airborne Diseases (2)
Varicella zoster: This virus causes
chichenpox and spreads easily among
young children. The rash is typically
widespread on the body and made up of
small red spots that turn into itchy blisters,
which scab over in time. Chickenpox is
spread for about 48 hours before a rash
shows, which is how it infects others so
successfully. It is usually spread through
the air or by touching the rash.
 Common Airborne Diseases (3)
Mumps: This virus affects the glands just
below the ears, causing swelling and, in
some cases, loss of hearing. Vaccination
is considered important to prevent the
disease;
Measles: This illness is caused by contact
with a person who has the measles virus,
or by inhaling particles from their sneezes
or cough. As with mumps, vaccination is
essential for preventing the spread of this
disease;
 Common Airborne Diseases (4)
Whooping cough (pertussis): This is a
contagious, bacterial illness that causes
the airways to swell. The hacking cough
that results is persistent and generally
treated with antibiotics early on to prevent
damage.
 Uncommon Airborne Diseases (1)
Anthrax: This is a bacterial disease that
infects the body when a person inhales 
anthrax spores. It causes nausea and flu
symptoms. Inhaled anthrax is difficult to
diagnose because it resembles other
diseases such as flu. Anthrax is treated
with antibiotics to stop it worsening;
 Uncommon Airborne Diseases (2)
Diphtheria: A rare bacterial disease, 
diphtheria damages the respiratory system
and attacks the heart, kidneys, and
nerves. Its rarity may be due to
widespread vaccination. Diphtheria can be
treated with antibiotics;
 Uncommon Airborne Diseases (3)
Meningitis: Meningitis swells the
membranes around the brain and spinal
cord. It is a bacterial or viral infection, but
is also caused by an injury or fungal
infection. Common symptoms include a
persistent headache, fever, and skin rash.
 Prevention (1)
 The length of an illness caused by a
common airborne disease can vary from a
few days to weeks, but it is usually dealt
with easily;
 Uncommon airborne diseases may require
additional treatment;
 Airborne diseases are widespread and
easily treatable, in most cases;
 Prevention (2)
 Complete prevention is difficult, but there
are some ways to reduce exposure to the
pathogens that cause them;
 Carrying out good sanitary habits can
greatly reduce the risk of transmitting
airborne diseases;
 Wearing a hospital mask in public, and
covering sneezes and coughs with an
elbow or tissue, are some of the good
habits that are recommended;
 Prevention (3)
 Regular hand-washing can also help lower
the spread of bodily fluids that may contain
disease-causing germs;
 Increasing ventilation can help exchange
air between the inside and outside of a
building;
 In an unventilated area, pathogens,
pollutants, and moisture can build up to
unsafe levels;
 Prevention (4)
 Cleaning the air with a filter is another part
of keeping an area as free of pollutants
and pathogens as possible;
 A few basic filtering methods include
mechanical air filters, UV purification,
HEPA filters, and ion generators.
 Airborne Disease Symptoms
 Many airborne diseases have symptoms
similar to the common cold or influenza
including cough, chill, muscle and body
aches, fatigue, congestion, sneezing runny
or stuffy nose, sore throat, slight body
aches or headaches, sinus pressure;
 Some people also experience a low fever
or general sluggishness with these
symptoms and sick building syndrome.
To be continued