I can pinpoint the exact day I began to hate the song “Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy. It’s an ‘80s classic, don’t get me wrong, but when I decided to set it as the theme for my 6:00 a.m. alarm for summer cross country practice, it didn’t take more than two mornings for me to realize my mistake.

The song I once associated with neon lights, retro arcade games and that one episode of “Regular Show” now activated me like a sleeper agent who had repressed the memories of sore calves, shin splints and heavy breathing. Really heavy breathing. Maybe too heavy?

I mean, as an asthmatic my standards for breathing aren’t exactly high. I take my inhaler religiously and don’t smoke four packs of cigarettes a day (I had to draw the line at three), and the last time I checked, running is supposed to improve lung health, not the opposite. So what was the problem?

In short: the air quality. In “long”: well, that’s what the rest of the story is for, isn’t it?

Poor air quality can have much more of an impact on the body than just shortness of breath, as a lack of oxygen over an extended period of time can result in an increased heart rate, dizziness and even discoloration in the fingernails and lips. Eventually this can lead to permanent lung damage and an increased risk of seizures, coma and, unfortunately but not unsurprisingly, death. 

We’ve all heard of the horrors that await us in the future if we continue to release exhaust from our cars, but what is exhaust actually made of? While the majority of these fumes are made up of things that are naturally found in our atmosphere, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor, the smaller amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter are what really leave a negative impact. Particulate matter contains thousands of extremely small particles of dust, dirt and soot, as well as stuff that really shouldn’t be in our atmosphere, such as numerous combinations of oxide gases.

For those of you who were playing “Clash Royale” during chemistry class, oxide gases are chemical compounds that contain oxygen and one other element, many of which are actually relatively harmless when released in small quantities. However, keep in mind that car exhaust contains a large amount of particulate matter, which in itself contains thousands of oxide gas particles. While some of these oxygen go onto form oxide gas compounds that probably won’t kill you, the sheer number of these particles means that harmful compounds are guaranteed to happen. 

Some of these combinations are harmful because, according to the California Air Resources Board, the most common and dangerous air pollutant, ozone, forms when nitrogen oxide gases react with sunlight. Because exhaust fumes are released directly into the atmosphere and … y’know, that’s where the sun is, this process happens only mere seconds after the fumes are released.

The amount of oxide gas produced varies based on car model, amount of time driving and a whole bunch of other factors that make it impossible to accurately measure the exact amount of ozone being produced at one given time. These particles can range anywhere from 10 to merely 2.5 micrometers (or microns) in diameter. Want to know how big a micron is? A single grain of sand is 90 microns in diameter. Needless to say, sizing makes this a little hard to measure.

While it’s difficult to accurately measure the output of ozone from vehicles, we can measure the amount of ozone in our atmosphere much better, which is kind of a good news/bad news thing. On one hand, our atmosphere is completely deteriorating. According to the World Health Organization, air quality is involved in 7 million premature deaths annually. Not good. But on the other hand … uh, at least we know we’re all probably going to die early? Sorry, it’s a little hard to stay optimistic when our oxygen is literally becoming less breathable by the second.

There are natural causes to troubled breathing as well, such as seasonal allergies (which, if you’re like me, seem to occur every season). While these allergies are usually triggered by “natural” factors such as mold and mildew, and are often viewed as nothing more than an inconvenience, nurse Cheryl Novak stresses the importance of monitoring breathing during these periods, as not doing so often lands students in her office.

“Allergies become super common during the fall and especially spring,” Novak said. “The lungs are important for so many reasons, so if you’re having trouble breathing, you’re going to have [trouble] with other things.”

You might recall the few weeks during mid-July last summer when the smoke from California’s wildfires made its way to the northern and central parts of the United States, which included us. I certainly do, because I only made it halfway through practice before almost passing out in the middle of Kensington Road and getting reduced to atoms by some guy in a lifted Ford F-150. After realizing that there’s literally no worse way to die than by the kind of person who uses the truck bed exclusively for groceries, I decided to head home early.

But how is a year-old wildfire (and my personal vendetta against lifted trucks) relevant to our declining air quality today? Well, the smoke from fires practically has the exact same buildup as the smoke from an engine or factory. According to ACS Publications, not only is wildfire smoke also associated with cardiovascular and lung diseases, but its particulate matter buildup also contains carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides, all of which are also found in engine fumes. While there are differences between “natural” wildfire smoke and “artificial” engine fumes, both will still hurt your lungs, both in the long and short term. 

The period of time when smoke overwhelmed Illinois is a glimpse at what future air quality will be if the atmosphere continues to get polluted. The days when air quality is at its worst today due to uncommon circumstances — wildfires, proximity to a factory, frequency of automobile usage — is projected to be the standard by 2050, according to NC State University. 

I can’t blame you if you think an asthmatic is overstating the impact of air pollution, so take it from Boys’ Soccer Coach Jason Cohen who noticed a significant performance drop while coaching during one of the most smoky days of the summer.

“We didn’t have to alter the practice at all … [but] everything ran a little longer. Everyone was taking longer breaks and moving slower,” Cohen said. “Even I felt the [poor] air quality, and obviously I wasn’t running around or anything.”

However, this does not have to be our future. Atmospheric cleanup acts have been successful in countries such as China, which has been making environmental changes in its cities since 2014. The largest, most effective effort made by China was changing infrastructure in Beijing to favor a new metro system as opposed to the crowded roads that spewed ozone prior to 2014. According to the University of Chicago, these changes have led to an additional two years in average life expectancy.

Taking measures to reduce air pollution would even go beyond benefitting just our lungs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation, every $1 spent on air pollution control yields an estimated $30 in economic benefits due to workers being able to work longer and more efficiently.

While our atmosphere is on track to only worsen with time, it can be prevented through measures we can all take. It’s up to all of us to take action to reduce ozone emissions and clean up our air before it’s too late. This can mean joining organizations like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or National Association of Clean Air Agencies, or even just choosing to take your bike to school instead of driving. Everything helps.

Novak expresses the importance of taking care of one’s lungs, especially during times of poor air quality. In my case, this means using an inhaler before anytime I do something excruciatingly athletic, like climbing an entire flight of stairs. Sounds fun, right? Well don’t worry, you’ll have to do the same thing in a decade or so if we continue to treat our atmosphere like crap.

“The lungs affect so much more than just our breathing,” Novak said. “It’s so important to take care of them … [which] means taking care of our environment, too.”