Air Pollution Talk

Stay inside with the windows closed on high pollen days, if possible.

Use your air conditioner to help filter the air coming into the home. Central air systems are the best.

Remove indoor plants if they irritate or produce symptoms for you or your family.

Source: EPA

Exposure to some toxic substances — including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, pesticides, solvents, and household chemicals — can increase the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and other pregnancy complications. These and other environmental toxins can also harm the developing bodies of fetuses and infants. Women who are pregnant or nursing or who plan to become pregnant should take special care to avoid exposure to certain chemicals.

Source: Women’s Office

Many types of environmental exposures are more harmful for children than for adults. There are many reasons for this:

• Relative to their body weight, children eat, breathe, and drink more than adults do. So children take in higher concentrations of any toxins in their food, water, or air.
• As organs develop, they are more likely to be damaged by exposure to toxins.
• The ways that toxins are removed from the body are not fully developed in children.
• Children spend more time outdoors, where they may be exposed to outdoor air pollution and ultraviolet radiation.
• Children do more intense physical activity, causing them to breathe air pollutants more deeply into their lungs.
• Young children tend to put their hands, dirt, or objects into their mouths.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The environment is everything around you, indoors or outdoors. The air you breathe, water you drink, the ground you walk on, and food you eat are all part of your environment. It’s important that you know what things in the environment can affect your health and what you can do to help protect yourself and your family.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious health problems in women, such as cancer, lung disease, or reproductive system problems. They can also make health conditions worse. Scientists are studying the ways toxins in the environment may play a role in conditions such as breast cancer, endometriosis, and menopause. This fact sheet offers information about these toxins and steps you can take to limit exposure.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Smokers are particularly at risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Second-hand smoke exacerbates or worsens respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma. Cigarette smoking is responsible for 90% of all chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

What you can do:

If you smoke, stop.

Avoid tobacco smoke.

Request that family members, friends or caregivers smoke outside.

Source: US Environmental Protection Agency

Air Quality affects health, especially that of individuals with heart or lung disease. The Air Quality Index (AQI) tells us how clean the air is and whether it could affect our health. EPA, together with state and local agencies, forecasts and reports on current conditions for ozone and particle pollution.

What you can do:

Check the Air Quality Index (AQI) daily. If you cannot access the Internet to check it, consult your local newspaper, tv or radio weather broadcasts for daily ozone and/or particle pollution forecasts.

On bad air days (Code Orange, Red, Purple or Maroon), limit or reschedule outdoor activity.

Source: epa.gov