Breathing Difficulties and Environment

Many people find that breathing cold, dry air can make their breathing difficulties worse. Other things in the environment can also affect breathing difficulties, such as tobacco smoke, air pollution, pets, and even the air inside your home.

Air Pollution

While scientists debate whether air pollution is actually the cause of physiological breathing difficulties, it seems clear that air pollution can certainly aggravate your breathing condition. (See allergies and air quality for further discussion.)

Indoor Air Quality

Emphasis on energy-efficient homes has led to a great deal of attention on making our homes airtight, decreasing the amount of energy and expense needed for heating. A side-effect has been to decrease the natural ventilation (the exchange of outside and inside air), raising concerns over air quality and health effects of indoor air pollution within the home.

We spend approximately 80% of our time indoors. The percentage for children and the elderly is usually higher; in fact, they may venture outside only one hour a day, especially during the colder months of the year. Therefore, it is important to look at sources of air pollution within the home that may emit particulates, gases and fumes harmful to our health.

Sources within the home that emit air pollutants include:
Continually polluting sources such as

building materials and home furnishings
pressed wood products
insulation with urea-formaldehyde

Intermittently polluting sources include

Fumes and particulates released from wood-burning and gas stoves
Organic compounds released from cleaning and hobby supplies

More common pollution sources arising as the result of combustion such as

Wood-burning stoves
Fireplaces
Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters
Gas stoves

Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and acid aerosols are examples of some pollutants which can be emitted by combustion.

Organic chemicals are another source of concern and are commonly found in household products such as paints, varnishes, degreasing agents, disinfectants and hobby products. These organic compounds may include benzene, perchloroethylene, paradichlorobenzene and methylene chloride.

It is important to remember that emitted particulates can remain in the air and continue to pose a health threat for long periods of time.

Healthy Breathing and Environment

How can we decrease our exposure to these pollutants?

It is important to try to minimize your exposure to gases and particulates as a preventive health measure especially if you suffer from breathing difficulties.

Use exhaust fans vented to the outside when using gas stoves. Keep gas appliances adjusted properly.
If using an unvented gas space heater, follow directions carefully. A continuous "yellow tipped" flame indicates faulty adjustment, which causes more pollutant emissions. Consider purchasing a vented space heater. Keep windows slightly opened and doors open when using non-vented space heaters.
Always keep the flue open when gas or wood fireplaces are in use.
There are new wood-burning stoves certified to meet emission standards. Make sure that the stove is properly installed and glass doors are tightly fitted. Never burn chemically treated wood.
Have a professional inspect and clean central heating systems, including chimneys, flues, and furnaces.
All furnaces should be vented to the outside. Change filters as indicated by the manufacturer.
Work with organic compounds outside or in well ventilated areas. Follow manufacturers' directions carefully, and be cautious in storing these containers. Buy only the amount needed for a particular use, then dispose of the remains safely.
Purchase pressed wood products labeled "exterior grade" to decrease formaldehyde exposure. These do not emit as many pollutants because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins. Keep windows open whenever possible to increase ventilation. Increased humidity and high temperatures can increase the release of formaldehyde; therefore, a dehumidifier can be helpful where high humidity is common. Over time, the amount of formaldehyde released from products decreases.
Try to improve the overall ventilation within your home. It is helpful to open windows and doors as weather permits. Heat recovery ventilators (air-to-air heat exchangers) are an excellent, energy efficient way to bring outside air into the home. These systems are available in portable window units or can be added to the central air system.

Pets and Animals

Our feathered and furry friends in the home can affect people with allergies and breathing difficulties. Cats, dogs, birds, rodents (hamsters, gerbils) and horses are common examples of feathered or furry animals. Animal dander (dead skin that is continually shed), urine, faeces and saliva from feathered or furry animals can trigger allergy symptoms. Cats are particularly problematic as the allergens remain in the environment for years after removal of the animal.

Actions you can take if you have pets in the home:

Experts agree that the most important action is to remove the animal from your home - however this is not always a practical option, especially if the pet has become a valued family member.
If you must have a pet, keep it out of your bedroom at all times. Keep your bedroom door closed and put a filter over air vents in the bedroom. Remember pet dander is also a source of nutrition for dust mites.
Keep the pet away from upholstered furniture and carpet as much as possible.
Avoid visits to friends and relatives with pets when possible.
Choose a pet without fur or feathers. Snakes (non venomous), fish and lizards can be good pets!

Smoking and secondhand smoke

Clearly if you smoke and you have breathing difficulties you should be looking to give up, but it is also others around you who smoke that will impact on your health.

When you are exposed to smoke in the environment it is called secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a combination of two types of smoke, sidestream and mainstream smoke. Mainstream smoke is the smoke exhaled by a person who is smoking. Mainstream cigarette smoke is a mixture of over 4,000 chemicals, 40 of which cause cancer (carcinogens) in humans. Sidestream smoke is the smoke from the end of a burning cigarette. Sidestream smoke contains all of these same carcinogens.
In adults, secondhand smoke is a Class A carcinogen and secondhand cigarette smoke is also associated with a higher risk of heart disease in non-smokers.
Keep in mind, however, that everyone exposed to secondhand smoke is at risk.

Children and Teens

Studies have shown that secondhand smoke affects the health of children. Children exposed to cigarette smoke in the home have more upper respiratory infections and more difficulty recovering from these infections. These children may have more problems with chronic cough and chronic middle-ear infections. Children in households where one or both parents smoke have twice the amount of bronchitis, pneumonia and are hospitalized more frequently before their first birthday than children of non-smoking parents.

Steps to Avoid Secondhand Smoke

Keep your home and car free from secondhand smoke. Have guests and family members smoke outside.
Never allow anyone to smoke in your (or your child's) bedroom.
Sit in non-smoking sections of public areas (restaurants, airports etc.)
Visit restaurants and shopping centers that are smoke-free.
If family members smoke, ask them to think about quitting.
If you or a family member smokes, talk to your doctor or nurse about quitting.
There are many support networks out there for smokers who want to give up so you are not alone.