The realisation just hit me, that we are living in a 'glassdome', pulverising most substances and matter in our productivity, but our respiratory organ has not evolved to handle the 'fallout'. Hence we choke to death on our own anti-products.

The evolution of the thin protective layer around the globe started around 3.5 billion years ago. 3.3 billion years ago cyanobacteria generously pumped out oxygen into the atmosphere. Plants evolved and produced more oxygen for air breathing life forms. The thin layer of the troposphere enabled a multiplicity of life-forms to evolve.

The mammalian lung interfacing the troposphere, also known as breathing, is built to take up air, not particles.

The virulent productivity of  sprawling human beings has as an anti-product: the pulverisation of the Earth's matter and substances. This pollution is so harmful, because particulate matter
and gases (the dust/anti-product) contaminate the air. Very small particles, or aerosols get trapped in the cavities of our respiratory system. Some nanoparticles, many very toxic actually make it into the blood. We actually are the living vacuum cleaners of our 'dust'.

Combustion, the burning of fossil fuel in cars and power plants, dust from sprawling construction sites and from deforested areas are the major sources. Diesel is a specific health hazard. To wade through this 'thick soup' leads to asthma, lung cancer and premature death. 200,000 deaths per year are attributed to this form of 'air' in Europe.

Often the public discourse wishes to focus on this pollen or that house mite as a cause, but rarely questions the underlying causal chain of intentional and unintentional human activity on this planet.

That we are using up the evolved thin layer that we depend on is probably clear to everyone.

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