Asthma and Indoor Air Quality

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Friday, September 19th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Asthma is a chronic lung condition where the sufferer has difficulty catching their breath because of bronchoconstriction and alveolar dilation. In other words the bronchioles, or branches of the lung tree, close and the alveolar, the buds at the ends of the branches, get bigger. This combination makes the sufferer unable to exhale all of the air. The body continues to require oxygen however, so the sufferer continues to draw in more and more air.

Asthma has different triggers for different people. Some find their asthma is triggered by an upper respiratory infection, smoke, pollen, animal dander, allergens, or mold. Many find that their asthma can be triggered by the indoor air quality of their homes and apartments. Unlike the outdoors the indoor air is recycled again and again, especially when the furnace or air conditioner is running. This causes the air to trap mold and build up pollutants from the home.

The EPA studies indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants are 2-5 times greater than outdoor air. Over the past several decades this indoor air quality has decreased significantly as buildings become more tightly sealed to improve the energy efficiency. The use of synthetic materials and the use of chemically formulated personal care products, pesticides and household cleaners contribute greatly to the reduced indoor air quality of most buildings.

Exposure of asthma and indoor air quality to these pollutants only increases the potential of asthmatic attacks and decrease lung function.

There are methods to filter the air in your homes and places of business. But the best way is prevention. More businesses are becoming no smoking areas. More and more companies are offering products that don’t pollute your home. Asthma and indoor quality includes evaluating the household products that are used in your home.

Many people feel that household cleaners aren’t toxic unless they are being used. However, if you walk down the cleaning aisle at the store you smell all of the perfumes and scents from these cleaners. And these are bottles that haven’t been opened yet! They leak in your home after being opened even more than they do in the store. You may not smell the odor but the chemicals are floating around in the air you breath.

Personal care products such as deodorant, perfume, soaps, and shampoos all deliver just a bit of extra chemical pollution. Taken by themselves they may not cause much damage but together they can contribute to the decreased lung capacity of an asthmatic.

Other options to improve asthma and air quality include using an air filter in the home to filter the chemicals, pollutants as well as dust and pollen. Using a carbon monoxide detector will also help to avoid exposure to this silent killer.

Your doctor will most probably speak with you about your asthma and air quality in your home as a method of decreasing or preventing asthma attacks. Humidifiers also help to decrease the air quality because the humid air can help promote the growth of biological agents that can trigger an attack.

Decreasing the humidity in the house will also help to decrease mold growth. Mold is found in moist conditions both indoor and outdoor. You can track it indoors through your shoes, clothing, bags, or animals. Just the presence of mold doesn’t cause a problem but the excessive growth caused by moisture will.

Asthma and indoor air quality issues affect not only the asthmatic but also the other people living with them. However, by changing the living conditions to improve the life of the patient with asthma those changes will also improve the respiratory conditions for others.

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