Childhood Asthma is Increasing 

What is Asthma 

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects the quality of life.(1) Anyone can get asthma, and it is common for children and teens to have it. It’s estimated that around 65 million children have asthma.(1) An asthma attack can happen both indoors and outdoors. Each person that has asthma has different triggers that cause them to have an asthma attack. These triggers include:

• Tobacco smoke, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, pests, pets, mold, cleaning and disinfection, colds, allergies, pollen, physical exercise, fragrances, and intense emotions can cause asthma attacks.(2)

Air Pollution and Asthma 

The EPA suspects that air pollution and childhood asthma are connected.(3) Children are one of the most vulnerable groups and are susceptible to asthma because they are being exposed to a lot of allergens, such as dust, air pollution, and secondhand smoke.(4)

Children can get affected by outside particulate matter (PM10- 2.5) that comes from roadway particles. Young children spend more of their time outside as their respiratory systems are still developing, and particulate matter penetrates deep into the lungs and can lead to asthma.(3)

Indoor air quality can vastly impact asthma. The indoor environment is a mixture of ambient air and agents from indoor sources.(5) Indoor particulate matter can also be prominent inside homes and be made up of human and natural sources. The natural sources are pollen, spores, bacteria, plant and animal debris. Whereas the humans made PM is cigarette smoking, cooking, wood, dust, and penetration of our particles coming inside.(5) Knowing about the outdoor and indoor environment is vital because actions can take place to know how to look out for triggers and irritants that have a significant role in causing asthma and also asthma attacks with people who have it.  

A study conducted at Stanford University shows that air pollution can impact the DNA and change the gene associated with asthma.(3) Short and long-term exposures to high levels of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and PM2.5 are key air pollutants that continue to cause more children to have asthma. 

RadGreen is Here to Help! 

RadGreen is a one-stop environmental management solution that lets you optimize the air quality, thermal comfort, noise levels, light parameters, and viral index at the push of a button to create the perfect environment. RadGreen has three different solutions that you can pick to help give you a healthier environment. 

Resources

1https://www.epa.gov/asthma/what-asthma 
2 https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/triggers.html 
3https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/links-between-air-pollution-and-childhood-asthma 
4https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6776-asthma-in-children 
5https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266016/