Not only do we see the air we breathe, we now can taste it.
Air pollution contains ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and several different hydrocarbons.
All of these pollutants significantly increase the amount of free radicals present within the lining of the lung and have been related to asthma. Studies have shown in the acute phases of asthma, that oxidative stress is high. Antioxidant defense systems soon are depleted. Vitamin C is one of the most important antioxidants in the lung since most of this attack takes place in the aqueous fluid within the lung tissue itself. Vitamin C levels along with other antioxidants have been found to be depleted during these acute attacks.