Ground-level ozone’s impact on human health in terms of respiratory diseases using Reactive Oxygen Species as an inflammatory marker

Ozone accumulation over time in the human body due to climate change exacerbates existing respiratory diseases and magnifies its negative consequences on human health. Ground-level ozone is artificially produced by catalyzing nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Usually, antioxidants in the human body are sufficient to neutralize the particles, but that ability is reduced when an individual has pre-existing respiratory diseases. Under these circumstances, ozone interacts with various proteins and lipids in the lower respiratory tract, damaging epithelial cells, producing an excess of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and causing symptoms such as inflammation and airway constriction. This study explored the impact of ozone on human health through a representative simulation model that captured the cumulative impact of ground-level ozone on the human lung, including considerations of existing respiratory diseases with ROS as an inflammatory marker. Within the simulation, agents were used to represent oxygen and carbon dioxide, ozone, and physiological saline, with a controlled spread of disease between the agents suggestive of the creation of ROS. Used in conjunction with stoichiometric equations, the model provided a quantitative prediction of the theoretical lifespan of a person under varying ozone concentrations. The simulation found a negative correlation between ozone concentration and average lifespan, of 114 and 52 years at ozone concentrations of 0 and 100 ppb respectively, representing a linear decrease of 0.6 years for every 1 ppb increase in ground-level ozone concentration. More accurately, the simulation results fit an exponential regression with the equation <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>y</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>112.08</mml:mn><mml:msup><mml:mi>e</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.008</mml:mn><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msup></mml:mrow></mml:math> with <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msup><mml:mi>R</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msup></mml:math> &gt; 0.99. This study provided quantitative evidence from simulation, consistent with empirical studies, of the detrimental effects of ozone on exacerbating pre-existing respiratory diseases by causing an increase in ROS.