Breathe Healthy Air in the One Place You Can Control

At least 186 million Americans’ health are in danger from polluted air according to a report issued last month by the American Lung Association.

In fact, “ 60 Percent of Americans Live In Areas Where Air is Dirty Enough to Endanger Lives.”

This is especially bad news for those with respiratory conditions like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Some research shows that this level of air pollution also increases risk of heart attacks and strokes.

So it behooves us to ensure that we get clean air in the on place we can control – inside our homes. If you have young children, work at home or are older (lungs have reduced capacity with age) or have respiratory or allergy problems take action.

With the affordable, newer whole home air cleaning systems, you can avoid time-consuming and messy maintenance (just 1 – 2 filter changes a year for a total of no more than 10 minutes). More importantly, unlike room-only air cleaners (who lives in a closed room after all?) and the older air cleaning units, you can now get a continuously high-performing system bolted right onto your hvac system. I recommend a new, non-metallic (no rust, etc.) technology that cam out about 4 years ago called AspenAir Inside.

The key is to remove the tiny, airborne particles that go deep into the lungs, the so-called RSPs.

BTW, “Visalia and Fresno, two mid-size towns in central California ranked high for short-term and year-round particle pollution. Birmingham, Ala., and Cincinnati were listed in the top 10 of metro areas with unhealthy levels of year-round particle pollution. In the Southwest, the Houston, Dallas and Phoenix metro areas had high ozone levels.

Allergic to Your Pet? Unwilling to Say Goodbye?

Even with your asthma or allergy, you won’t give up your beloved pet. Few will. Some make their dogs unexpected stars on YouTube (“Doberman attacking Chihuahua”). Or create montages of their cat’s odd antics or sleepiness. One substitutes a ball machine for a nanny to keep their beloved pet entertained and, well, fit. Another besotted owner actually trains his Jack Russell to entertain, perhaps for a new sport category in an imaginary pet Olympics.

Yet if your pet makes you sneeze, tear up or worse you can take steps to dander-proof your home. That helps. Yet even in the cleanest home, action happens. Dirty particles get raised into the air. So it helps to make the air throughout your home cleaner than fresh air. Get a continuously high-performing unit that bolts right onto your home (HVAC) heating system. It is made by AspenAir Inside. It uses less than 2 watts to remove 99% of what’s called Respirable Suspended Particles in air.

BTW, here’s good news for those who don’t own a pet, are allergic to cats yet yearn for one. An ostensibly hypoallergenic cat is waiting for you – for just $35,000

Double Pane Windows: “Not Worth Much…

… “without a properly insulated house with an efficient heating and cooling system,” reports Alexis Madrigal. That’s what she learned from Sustainable Spaces, a firm that conducts home energy efficiency assessments and provides green improvements.” Matt Golden, Sustainable Spaces’ ceo, says his company can reduce a home’s energy bills by 10-50 percent, simply by fixing what he calls “the heart and lungs of a home” – the HVAC system.

Of course, once your home is tightly- sealed and snug, consider getting those double pane windows. For the best kind, check the warranty and the NFRC rating. Also be sure to remove the airborne pollutants that are captured inside, especially the tiny RSPs that can go deep into the lungs, sometimes causing asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems.

From carpet fibers to mildew on grout..

... home air pollutants can be fixed in one of three ways, according to the conscientious people at Green Building Supply: preventative, curative or alternative. Their chart is the best I’ve found so far for a quick review of what you can do. Now, if they would also take the whole home, rather than single room approach, in recommending ongoing home air pollution removal, I’d be a complete fan.

For Healthier Air at Home: Get a Portable Unit or a Whole Home System?

Over at the blog Ultra Clean and Pure, the author, who sells portable, room-only air cleaners, warns against buying a system to clean the air throughout your home.

The author writes that they are “around $15,000.” Yes, a few of them are expensive. Yet you can get a highly-efficient unit for $1,000. It is called AspenAir Inside. It can be installed in 40 minutes or less.

The blog author also writes that “the electric rates are also quite expensive.” A good whole home air cleaner is actually an energy saver.

Plus, with the non-metallic technology used by AspenAir Inside (unlike the metal plates or pins in traditional electronic air cleaners) you can avoid the messy and time-consuming cleaning of many whole home systems. All you have to do is replace a filter once or twice a year. It is so simple it takes five minutes or less.

There is more to consider when looking at a portable units. With any single room air cleaners, efficient air cleaning can only happen in one room – with the system running all the time. We are social animals by nature. Few of us will live in a single room – without opening the door or windows.

Plus systems using HEPA filters require more frequent filter changes than, say, AspenAir Inside – and they are relatively expensive.

Also some portable units and some whole home cleaners emit harmful ozone.

Now, with winter is coming, you’ll be spending more time indoors. Perhaps now is a good time to read “Why You May Want Healthier Air at Home - and How to Get It.” (There are others reasons too.)

Allergic to Your Pet? Unwilling to Say Goodbye?

Even with your asthma or allergy, you won’t give up your beloved pet. Right? Few will. Some make their dogs unexpected stars on YouTube (“Doberman attacking Chihuahua”). Or create montages of their cat’s odd antics or sleepiness. One substitutes a ball machine for a nanny to keep their beloved pet entertained and, well, fit. Another besotted owner actually trains his Jack Russell to entertain, perhaps for a new sport category in an imaginary pet Olympics.

Yet if your pet makes you sneeze, tear up or worse you can take steps to dander-proof your home. That helps. Yet even in the cleanest home, action happens. Dirty particles get raised into the air. So it helps to make the air throughout your home cleaner than fresh air. Get a relatively new air filler that bolts right onto your home (HVAC) heating system. It is made by AspenAir Inside. It uses less than 2 watts to remove 99% of what’s called Respirable Suspended Particles in air.

BTW, here’s good news for those who don’t own a pet, are allergic to cats yet yearn for one. An ostensibly hypoallergenic cat is waiting for you – for just $35,000.

Even the biggest messes and toughest stains ...

... can be attacked effectively with baking soda, borax, lemon juice and more. You'll also spend less money and reduce packaging, believes Brian Clark Howard at the Daily Green. (Kudos to you, Deborah Barrow for this gem of a site.)

8 Tips For Healthier Air in Your Home

1. Don’t let your vacuum bag ever become more than half full. This will reduce the amount of particles, activated from vacuuming, to be released into the air.

2. Change your vacuum bag at least once a month.

3. Avoid dust, mold, and bacteria build-up by wiping down surfaces in bathrooms, bedrooms, and the kitchen with a diluted bleach solution.

4. Decrease the amount of surface area where dust particles can collect by eliminating as much clutter as possible.

5. Remind yourself to change your air cleaner filter by marking the date on your calendar.

6. Check your smoke alarm at the same time.

7. If you have a fireplace, get the chimney checked once a year.

8. Get an annual radon check.

Don’t Let Mold Grow in Your Home

You may discover you have mold in your home when it smells bad. Other symptoms of mold include headaches, breathing difficulties, skin irritation, allergic reactions or asthma attacks.

Those most susceptible to mold are people with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals are less vulnerable yet may get common skin diseases, such as athlete's foot, as well as other infections such as yeast infections.

Act fast. When mold spores land on a damp spot, they may begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on in order to survive. Moisture control is the key to mold control.

To prevent the growth of mold inside your home, when any floor, wall, ceiling or other surface gets wet, dry it out within 24-48 hours.

Wash mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water, and make the surface(s) completely dry. If some of the damp materials are absorbent, such as ceiling tiles or carpets, consider replacing them. .

Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.

What’s the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the U.S.?

Carbon monoxide according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Yet while 93% of U.S. homes have smoke alarms, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that only 15% have carbon monoxide alarms.

Such alarms are vital because carbon monoxide is virtually invisible to us. It is a flammable, colorless, odorless and tasteless toxic gas.

You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes.
- Low levels of carbon monoxide poisoning are mistaken for flu or cold symptoms - shortness of breath on mild exertion, mild headaches, nausea.

- Higher levels cause dizziness, mental confusion, severe headaches, nausea, fainting on mild exertion. Very high levels lead to unconsciousness and death.

Avoid dangerous CO levels in your home:

• Install a battery-operated CO detector/alarm in your home and check or replace the battery when you check your smoke alarms and change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. Mount the detector/alarm on the ceiling at each level in your home.

• If you are suffering from continuing, chronic flu-like symptoms, see your doctor and ask her if it could be a low-level CO poisoning.

• If you have a CO detector, and it alarms, immediately open windows and ventilate your home with fresh air, have your heating system checked by a professional.

• Be sure that CO is not escaping from any fuel-burning appliance (furnace, water heater, fireplace, woodstove, or space heater.)

• Do not block or seal shut exhaust flues or ducts for appliances such as water heaters, ranges, and clothes dryers.

• If you live in a newer home, it is probably built to be very air-tight. Thus it cuts down on the supply of fresh air to your furnace, creating an oxygen starved flame. As well, tight closing replacement windows and doors, as well as additional insulation can cause similar “air-tight” problems in older homes.

• Be sure your flues that are connected to new high-efficiency furnaces and water heaters are sized right. If not, they can cause CO spillage.

• Also many new furnaces and water heaters are installed using the existing chimneys that may be the wrong size to allow the furnace to vent properly.

• Carbon monoxide can spill into the home from vent connections in poorly maintained or blocked chimneys. If the flue liner is cracked or deteriorated, CO can seep inside through the liner, slowly creeping up to dangerous levels. If a nest or other materials restrict or block the flue, CO will mostly spill back into the house.

• Never warm up vehicles in a garage attached to your home, even when your garage door is open. Do not operate other gasoline-powered engines in confined areas such your garage or basement.

Do not leave your car, mower, or other vehicle running in an attached garage, even with the door open.
You may be allowing concentrated amounts of CO to enter your home through the garage door or near-by windows.

• Get an EAC (electronic air cleaner) that attaches to your existing HVAC system, one that is sufficiently efficient to eliminate harmful levels of CO in your home.

The Air Study That “Stunned” Researchers

Researchers comparing air quality in six U.S. cities were “stunned” to learn “that people living in cities with the dirtiest air died on average two years earlier than residents of cities with the cleanest air. The difference in death rates was linked to elevated levels of fine-particle pollution.”

The tiniest air-born pollution particles are the most dangerous

Lung diseases like cancer, emphysema, fibrosis, and asthma are almost all initiated or aggravated by the inhalation of particles and gases, reports Joseph Brain, Drinker professor of environmental physiology at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

Children are the most vulnerable

The smallest air-borne particles are the ones that our lungs are least able to defend against. Infants and children are especially vulnerable. To describe the difference in an unforgettable way, imagine this scene, according to Rick Rogers, senior research scientist at HSPH:

“If a mom and her seven-year-old at a bus stop, stand in the wake of a departing bus’ burst of diesel exhaust, the child’s lungs will take in two and a half times the dose of particles as the mother’s. That startling effect is because of differences in surface to lung volume, metabolic rate, and activity.

Of course, any air pollution in the home will also have a much greater effect on children.

Fine particles in the air cause lung problems and heart attacks.

15 years into the six-city study researchers were surprised again. People were losing lung function, but what was killing them were cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and dysrhythmias. And it was fine particles from power plants and other combustion sources such as automobiles and home heating that showed the strongest associations with these deaths. This study is the most cited air-pollution paper in existence.


Prevent your children from losing lung capacity as they age.

The fine-particle lung damage to children worsens their lungs as they age. At first these fine particles cause “only” a small, yet permanent reduction in lung function. That's not so bad when they are young and have plenty of reserve lung capacity. But as they age, they will lose about 1 percent of their lung function per year (1.5 percent for smokers). After 50 years, in their early seventies, that’s a 50 percent reduction in lung capacity (75 percent in smokers).

Hint: It is never too soon to make the air cleaner where you have control over it – in your home. Look for air cleaning systems that also capture the most dangerous airborne particles – the tiniest ones.

Disarming Asthma – A Mother's Perspective

“Asthma, believe it or not, is a disease that can be very dangerous,” writes Janean Brown at atchoo! allergy.

Not only can it affect a child’s ability to breathe, but it can also cause low blood oxygen and prevent oxygen from reaching vital organs in the body. If severe enough, asthma attacks can cause death. In fact, in 2002, over 4,000 deaths were attributed to asthma, 170 of which were children.

Parents today have become experts at determining when their child is getting an ear infection or a fever, but are they ready for an asthma attack? One of the first steps in asthma management is to know what to look for. Every child with asthma exhibits symptoms or warning signs that an attack is near.

Some symptoms include coughing, fast breathing, fatigue that is not play-related, wheezing, vomiting, unusual paleness or sweating, irregular breathing, and an anxious look when the child is trying to take in more air. Just as in my own experience, many children try to overcompensate by taking in too much air, which can lead to an attack itself. But by recognizing the symptoms, my family and I have become experts at predicting asthma attacks. I now take great pleasure in knowing that not only can I predicate the attacks, but I can stop them before they begin.

Relax Mom, to Help Your Child

Helping your children take control over their asthma before it takes hold of them can be the most powerful tool in reducing and eliminating their asthma attacks. “The most important thing to remember is to relax”, I can still hear my mother’s voice in my mind. Relaxing allows your body the opportunity to breathe normally and to get oxygen into the needed organs.

It also allows you and your children some time to either consult your pediatrician or take any necessary medication. Reassuring your children in a soft, confident tone helps to soothe them and allows you to make an assessment as to how the attack began and to how to end it.

It wasn’t until I was knee-deep in research that I realized that asthma, like allergies, has environmental triggers too. Approximately 75 to 80 percent of children with asthma have significant allergies. Though this may sound like a bad thing, this knowledge can work to your advantage. Isolating triggers can help you to eliminate asthma attacks all together. Some triggers for asthma include exercise, infections, allergies, weather, emotional states of mind, and chemical irritants.

Most of the time we can’t do anything about the weather or how hard our children play and exercise. However, we can control their environment to help reduce the risk factors for triggering an asthma attack. Monitoring what your child eats and drinks can be helpful in determining whether food or drink allergies are responsible for the attacks. Things like pollen, dust, mold, and pet dander can also trigger allergic reactions.

Don’t forget to be mindful of irritants like cigarette smoke, air pollution, aerosol sprays, or strong odors like paint fumes or strong cooking. These irritants can react to your child’s body just like allergens do, producing the same coughing, wheezing, and watery-eye reaction that can trigger asthma attacks. Also, be aware that emotional stress can also lead to an asthma attack. Excessive crying, laughing, or yelling can cause your child’s body to begin erratic breathing that can also trigger their asthma.

Got a Dog? Your Kids May Snore Later ...

If your child has any of these experiences she is more likely to snore as an adult:

• Being hospitalized for a respiratory infection before the age of two years.
• Suffering from recurrent ear infections as a child.
• Growing up in a large family.
• Being exposed to a dog at home.

What can you do? If you don’t give away your dear pet (a wrenching thought) - or even if you do - then you could make the air at home much cleaner.

So found Karl A Franklin from University Hospital Umea, Sweden. His research was published in August, 2008, in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research.

Obese Asthmatics Hospitalized More Than Other Asthmatics.

Much more.

Extremely overweight people who suffer from asthma are nearly five times more likely to be hospitalized for the condition than others with asthma.

David M. Mosen, Ph.D., MPH’s study at Kaiser Permanente was published in the September, 2008, issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

"Given that nearly 30 percent of our country is obese, this study is yet another example of the long-term dangers of obesity, along with heart disease, diabetes, stroke and dementia."

Past studies found that obese
• People are more likely to suffer asthma than non-obese people,
• Patients often have more severe asthma than their non-obese counterparts.

Since asthma afflicts more than 20 million Americans, Mosen’s other discoveries are also alarming:

• Nearly a third of adults with asthma are also obese.

• Obese people with asthma had significantly worse asthma control, lower asthma-related quality of life, and had 4.6 times higher risk for asthma-related hospitalizations than non-obese asthmatics.

• Obese people with asthma were younger and less educated than non-obese people with asthma.

• Obese people with asthma used more oral corticosteroids.

• Obese people with asthma had a higher incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disorder.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as having a Body Mass Index of 30 or higher

Why the Old and Young Need Fish Oil

Finally some good news about a low-cost way to reduce the risk of some chronic ailments.

Take more fish oil supplements.

Researchers found that it helps even more than soy oil. Fish oil is rich in Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ailments it alleviates include arthritis, cancer, heart disease and even memory loss.

It also helps protect your heart against certain damaging effects of air pollution. This is great news for us all but especially for parents of young children and for those who care for their elderly parents.

Many Moms (perhaps you?) are juggling their busy lives, doing both. At least this is a relatively quick and inexpensive thing to give the ones you love – and yourself.

Read more about the study. I found it via a great group of dedicated moms in Utah. Thanks!

Allergy Induced Asthma is on the Rise

Isabelle Boulay has an excellent article on how allergies can cause asthma in your child and what you can do about it. Her briefing will help prepare you before you visit the doctor. If your child is asthmatic, then be prepared to inspire the people at school to be supportive of good treatment during the school day.

Two Essentials for Every Green Kitchen (Yes, Mom, You Were Right)

Imagine spending less on your kitchen cleaning activities by using non-toxic products.

My mother and grandmothers used white vinegar and baking soda in the same ways that Robin suggests here. Brought back memories of making meals with my mother when I picked up these classic products at my grocer.

Robin suggests getting these two enduring classics. I seldom bake anymore and balsamic is my preference in vinegar. Yet for other vital kitchen tasks, get Baking Soda (bicarbonate of soda) and plain old white vinegar. They are so inexpensive.

Advises Robin:

1. Sinks and cooker tops
Put baking soda straight unto a damp cloth or mix a paste of baking soda with a little water. Wipe it around the sink and cooker tops with a very small amount of warm water. Leave for 2-3 minutes then rinse with water.

2. Stainless steel
Dampen a cloth liberally with white vinegar and wipe away

3. Fridge walls and shelves
Mix a 50-50 solution of white vinegar and water. Scrub away.

4. Fridge odors
To get rid of smells in the fridge, place a box of opened baking soda on a shelf. Stir it once a week. After 8-12 weeks, replace it.

5. Chopping board
Spread baking soda liberally over the chopping board and then sprinkle vinegar on top. Let it bubble for a few minutes before you rinse it off with warm water. (By the way, plastic boards are easier to keep clean than wooden).

6. Vegetables and fruits
Add 2 sprinkles of baking soda to a bowl of cool water. Place the produce in the bowl one-by-one. Gently scrub and then rinse off.

Car Fumes (Is Your Garage Attached to Your Home?)

Donna Barnett of Chasing Clean Air, called Steve Ferguson, a senior engineer at the Harvard School of Public Health. She sought his advice about buying a device that could measure the air pollution in her home. That got them to talking about the kinds of substances in home air that she should worry about.

According to Barnett, Feguson said he “is most concerned with VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in car fumes. He noted his concern for people with garages attached to their house--what else are they bringing in the house when arriving?

He made an interesting comment: It'd be interesting to study the health of truck drivers, since they breathe the most particulate matter. Poofs of diesel smoke from their smokestack frequently dump along the truck's surface, and behind the truck where the airflow is rough and turbulent.

Trucks frequently follow one another in truck lanes so they'd breathe fine particulate matter the most.

What’s the Asthma Capital for 2008?

What city is most likely to trigger an asthma attack? Statistically speaking it is Knoxville, a distinction it was unfortunate to win in 2004 and 2007 as well. Some of the reasons for this dirty award are, “higher than average annual pollen levels, high air pollution, lack of “100% smoke-free” laws and patient over-use of asthma rescue medications.”

The good news in announcing such designations is that the media is more likely to cover the growing problem of asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems.

Oh yes, here are the other cities that were “honored”:

2. Tulsa, OK
3. Milwaukee, WI
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Memphis, TN
6. Allentown, PA
7. Charlotte, NC
8. Greenville, SC
9. St. Louis, MO
10. Greensboro, NC

Notice how many are in the south.

See this slide show of the “worst asthma cities.”

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America based the rankings on 12 factors in three groups:
• Prevalence Factors – morbidity and mortality statistics
• Risk Factors – air quality, pollen, "100% smoke-free" laws, poverty and more
• Medical Factors – medication usage and access to specialists

Now to the good news….
Least 10 Challenging Asthma Capitals:
The following cities are among the 100 cities in the US with the highest population. However, among those 100 cities, these are the ten that ranked the lowest overall in the prevalence, risk, and medical factors.

1. Sarasota, FL
2. Seattle, WA
3. West Palm Beach, FL
4. Spokane, WA
5. Melbourne, FL
6. Fort Myers, FL
7. Daytona Beach, FL
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. San Francisco, CA
10. Colorado Springs, CO

Notice that half are located in Florida.

5 Tips for Reducing Asthma or Allergy Attacks at Home

The American Lung Association and the EPA offer four tips for relieving respiratory problems at home and I’ll suggest a fifth.

1. Reduce or remove asthma and allergy triggers. They include:
• Cold air.

• Tobacco smoke and wood smoke.

• Perfume, paint, hair spray, or any strong odors or fumes.

• Allergens (particles that cause allergies) such as dust mites, pollen, molds, pollution, and animal dander - tiny scales or particles that fall off hair, feathers or skin - and saliva from any pets.

• Common cold, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses

2. Use air filters and air conditioners -- and properly maintain them.

3. Pay attention to the problem of dust mites. Work hard to control this problem in the bedroom.

4. Vacuum cleaners with poor filtration and design characteristics release and stir up dust and allergens. Select a unit with high-efficiency filters such as micro filter or HEPA media, good suction, and sealed construction.

Ask for test data from manufacturers to determine the quantity and size of dust particles captured (e.g., 96 % at 1.0 micron or 99.97% at 0.3 micron). Alternately, consider a central vacuum that exhausts particulate outside the home.

5. Just as there is a wide variation in vacuum cleaner perform, air filters vary. Along with purchasing a HEPA-level vacuum, also get a HEPA-equivalent Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC). EACs perform better than conventional whole home air filtering systems. In fact the EAC technology used by AspenAir Inside also uses less energy, does not require a whole new HVAC system, installs quickly, lasts longer and requires less maintenance. Learn more here.

Here’s “ten more tips to making your home asthma-friendly.” (PDF)

Think you or someone you love has asthma? See the free online test here, to help a doctor make an accurate diagnosis.