Air Health Our Health The Two Pandemics- COVID19 & Air Pollution with Dr. Thomas Muenzel
I am a lung doctor who cares for patients in the clinic and ICU when they are sickened from diseases caused or worsened by air pollution. However, air pollution is actually even more damaging to the heart and blood vessels of the body, as my podcast guest Dr. Thomas Muenzel today knows too well. He is a heart doctor who can help intervene to open up arteries on patients who are suffering from blockages that cause heart attacks and other damage. For both of us, having a patient come to need our intervention already indicates that person is very sick, and we would both like to prevent them getting that ill in the first place. Dr. Muenzel has studied how air pollution actually damages the blood vessels in our body and around our heart. COVID19 has been consuming communities around the world, and is currently raging out of control in the United States at the time of this post. Dr. Muenzel and his group have worked to define how many of the deaths from COVID19 may be related to its interaction with air pollution. On the podcast today, we talk about the impact of air pollution on the heart and blood vessels as well as its interaction with COVID19.
What to Do:
1- Follow public health guidance on decreasing COVID19 pandemic so we can get through this sooner.
2- Pay attention to the absolute PM2.5 level where you live and AQI to help determine when it is safe to exercise.
3- Do your part to decrease air pollution in your own life and encourage your community and country to do the same.
4- Consider a donation to the American Lung Association or spreading the word about the importance of healthy air by wearing an Air Health Our Health T-shirt or using a mug or tote (proceeds also go to supporting healthy air).
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