Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, and indoor allergens and irritants play a significant role in triggering asthma attacks. Triggers are things that can cause asthma symptoms, an episode or attack or make asthma worse. If you have asthma, you may react to just one trigger or you may find that several things act as triggers. Be sure to work with a doctor to identify triggers and develop a treatment plan that includes ways to reduce exposures to your asthma triggers. Triggers of asthma found in the home include allergens such as pet dander, mold, or pests as well as irritants such as scented cleaning products and secondhand smoke. Reducing asthma triggers in the home is linked to improvements in asthma outcomes such as reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits for children who have asthma. Interventions that address as many triggers as possible in the home (multi-trigger) are effective in reducing asthma symptoms in children. Current studies suggest that adults with asthma or other respiratory illnesses, can be helped by reducing triggers of asthma in the home.
Asthma Triggers Infographic (epa.gov)
Gas stoves safety and use in the home
Molds create tiny spores to reproduce, just as plants produce seeds. Mold spores float through the indoor and outdoor air continually. When mold spores land on damp places indoors, they may begin growing. Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant and animal matter. Molds can be found almost anywhere when moisture is present. For people sensitive to molds, inhaling mold spores can trigger an asthma attack.
Mold, Moisture and Your Home (EPA)
Flood Cleanup and the Air In Your Home (EPA)
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/use-and-care-home-humidifiers (EPA)
Carbon Monoxide:
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure. The main contributors of carbon monoxide emissions include vehicle exhaust, gas-powered furnaces, and portable generators. Sources of carbon monoxide in homes include gas stoves, leaking furnaces, car exhaust from attached garages, and space heaters. Make sure to properly install, use and maintain fuel-burning appliances. Install carbon monoxide detectors in living/sleeping spaces.
Protect your home from the impacts of Carbon Monoxide (EPA)
Protect your family and yourself (EPA)
Particulate matter (PM) refers to various air particles, including dust, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets that range in size from less than 0.1 microns in diameter (smaller than a single bacterium) to about 10 microns (1/7 of the diameter of a human hair). Because they are so small, particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs. Inhaling high concentrations of particulate matter is associated with many health risks. Inhaling high concentrations of particulate matter is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, and other respiratory issues that can result in hospitalization and even premature death for people with pre-existing heart or lung conditions.
Sources include:
- Dust and other small particles from construction, mining, and agriculture.
- Fossil fuel combustion by factories, power plants, and diesel and gasoline vehicles.
- Wildfires and wood burning for home heating.
Breathing in wood smoke can be harmful to your health. Burning produces tiny particles that can be drawn into your lungs and even enter your bloodstream. Short-term exposure to fine particles in the air can aggravate lung disease, trigger asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, and increase the risk of respiratory infections. Over time, breathing fine particles increases the chances of developing chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, or lung cancer.
What you can do to protect yourself:
- Know when air quality is unhealthy — Check out the MPCA Air Quality Index and sign up for air quality forecasts and alerts.
- Protect yourself while driving — Close your windows when you're in traffic and set your ventilation system to recirculate the air to avoid breathing vehicle exhaust. Choose driving routes that are less traveled, especially by diesel vehicles.
- Avoid exposure to pollutants — Keep away from wood smoke, vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, and other sources of airborne particles, where possible. Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion near busy roadways or on days when the air quality is poor.
Air quality Guide for Particle Pollution (AirNow.gov)
Ozone is a colorless gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. In the upper atmosphere this gas helps protect the earth from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. At ground level, however, ozone can be harmful to human health and the environment. Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly into the air but is created through a series of reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mixing in the presence of heat and sunlight. Because of the role of heat and sunlight in the formation of ozone, ozone is generally not a concern in Minnesota during the winter months. On hot, sunny summer days, however, ozone concentrations can rise to unhealthy levels. Sources of pollutants that form ozone include gasoline and diesel vehicles, construction equipment, and electric utilities. Additionally, paints, solvents, and glues/adhesives contain chemicals that may form ozone. Ozone is also a known lung irritant, associated with a variety of respiratory effects, including chest pain, asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.
People most at risk from breathing air containing ozone include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors, especially outdoor workers. In addition, people with certain genetic characteristics, and people with reduced intake of certain nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, are at greater risk from ozone exposure.
Children are at greatest risk from exposure to ozone because their lungs are still developing and they are more likely to be active outdoors when ozone levels are high, which increases their exposure. Children are also more likely than adults to have asthma.
Depending on the level of exposure, ozone can:
- Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.
- Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously and cause pain when taking a deep breath.
- Inflame and damage the airways.
- Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.
- Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
- Increase the frequency of asthma attacks
Ozone: Good Up High, Bad Nearby (EPA)
Summertime Safety: Keeping Kids Safe from Sun and Smog
Air quality forecasts are often given with weather forecasts on handheld devices, online or in the paper or television. You can check ozone levels and other daily air quality information by visiting www.airnow.gov and in many areas you can receive air quality notifications through www.enviroflash.info
Days when ozone is expected to be high:
- Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature.
- Choose a cleaner commute—share a ride to work or use public transportation. Bicycle or walk to errands when possible.
- Refuel cars and trucks after dusk.
- Combine errands and reduce trips.
- Limit engine idling.
- Use household, workshop, and garden chemicals in ways that keep evaporation to a minimum or try to delay using them when poor air quality is forecast.
Sources: EPA, MDH
During a wildfire: Smoke can make the outdoor air unhealthy to breathe. Local officials may advise you to stay indoors during a smoke event. You should be aware that some of the smoke from outdoors can enter your home and make it unhealthy to breathe indoor air, too.
- Take extra care to protect children against wildfire smoke.
- Children with asthma and chronic health issues may have more symptoms, including trouble breathing, when smoke or ash is present.
If you or your child has asthma, know what to do if there is wildfire smoke outside. During a wildfire smoke event, follow your healthcare provider's advice and your asthma action plan if you have one. If you go to a shelter, make sure officials know that you or your child has asthma.
After a wildfire: Look out for any asthma symptoms. Contact your healthcare provider if you have trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough that won't stop, or other symptoms that do not go away. Call 9-1-1 or go right away to an emergency department for medical emergencies.
Outdoor air, including fine particles from wildfire smoke, can enter your home in a few ways:
- through open windows and doors, which is known as natural ventilation.
- through mechanical ventilation devices such as bathroom or kitchen fans that vent to the outdoors, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with a fresh air intake.
- through small openings, joints, cracks, and around closed windows and doors through a process called infiltration.
How Does Wildfire Smoke Affect Indoor Air Quality?
What Can I Do Now to Protect My Family from Wildfire Smoke?
Wildfires Resources One-Pager (PDF).
Quick Tips
By staying informed and taking proactive steps, you can help protect your health and the health of your loved ones from the harmful effects of air pollution.
Monitor Air Quality: Use apps or websites to check daily air quality levels in your area.
Limit Outdoor Activities: On days with high pollution levels, reduce outdoor activities, especially strenuous ones.
Create a Clean Indoor Environment: Use air purifiers, clean filters on air conditioners, dehumidifiers, furnaces routinely, keep windows closed on high pollution days, and avoid using products that release pollutants indoors.
Mask up: When going out, Wear masks designed to filter out pollutants when air quality is poor. (This is especially important if you have Asthma, or other diseases such as COPD, Heart Disease, Lung Cancer)
Support Clean Energy: Advocate for and support policies and practices that reduce emissions from power plants, vehicles, and industries.