Air Health Our Health

Turns out that Spring Cleaning can be pretty powerful- it can help or harm us. I often struggle to understand volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Plenty of products are marketed as "low VOC"- is that better? To learn more about how these chemicals interact in our homes, I interviewed Dr. Delphine Farmer , a Professor of Chemistry at Colorado State University. She is an atmospheric chemist who studies the air we breathe both indoors and outdoors. Her work has included projects such as the House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) study, which was a collaborative field investigation designed to probe how everyday activities influence the emissions, chemical transformations and removal of gasses and particles in indoor air. She has also studied how wildfire smoke and VOCs interact with our homes in the CASA study. We discuss VOCs, how we cook, clean, and ventilate our homes. She provides great tips for ensuring a health home environment- all in time for that Spring Cleaning! To Do: - Think through the simple steps mentioned by Professor Farmer to keep your home air clean. Consider wiping down surfaces with soap and water after a wildfire event or other big pollution event. - To learn more about NO2 and gas appliances, listen to the episode “The Fire Inside” with Dr. Laura Paulin.  - For more on ionizing technology and other things marketed as air cleaners, listen to the episode “Clearing the Air about Ionizers, Hydrogen Peroxide & More- the 4 D's of Safer Air with Ken Martinez" - To learn more about cleaning agents and their risk to health, you can listen to "Cleaning Agents, Chronic Bronchitis, and Latino Lung Health" with Alejandro Diaz - Finally, consider a donation to the American Lung Association, which works to educate about the importance of healthy indoor air. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram. 

Dr Jeremy T. Hua MD, MPH is a lung doctor at National Jewish Health  in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. He specializes in patients who get sick from where they work and how we can help keep them healthy. Today we discuss crystalline silica and the booming lung disease caused by inhaling it. Many of the workplaces are smaller, and employers may be unaware of the risk to employees or be put at a competitive disadvantage if they do address the risk and wider standards are not in place to protect all workers. However, the products involving quartz are everywhere, often in our kitchens, bathrooms and more. Listen and learn how so many of the products in are lives increasingly use engineered stone, how silica exposure is increasing, and what needs to be done. To Do - Learn more about silicosis from the American Lung Association or at the post for this episode.  - When considering a kitchen upgrade or other changes, consider avoiding engineered stone unless you know it has been made with high safety standards in place.  - Write to your members of Congress to encourage robust funding and staffing of OSHA and MSHA.  - Listen to last month’s podcast episode about coal mining and silica with Dr. Drew Harris to learn more about how to support miners. - Consider a donation to the American Lung Association, who advocates for patients with lung diseases including Silicosis. (Episode cover art from ALA Silicosis resources) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram.  Record a question or comment on the podcast site or send an e-mail via the website. 

This is a special bonus episode to bring you some good clean air and climate news. Advocacy is often hard and frustrating, but it is important to celebrate when improvement is made. On February 7th, 2024, the EPA released it’s final rule for the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (or NAAQS) for particulate matter pollution, lowering the annual standard to 9 ug/m3. The previous standard was 12ug/m3. If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you know that we’ve covered in multiple episodes how people were sickening and dying from lung disease, heart disease and more at levels below 12. For context, the WHO advises a standard of 5, and the American Thoracic Society has been advising a standard of 8 for years.  It includes an update on what has happened, and a roundtable in which I participated as a representative of the American Thoracic Society. It's important to celebrate the steps forward in advocacy! Learn more from the EPA announement here. Read the ALA response here. Read the ATS response here. The photo is of EPA administrator Michael Regan pictured with advocates from EcoMadres and Moms Clean Air Force after the signing on Feb 7th.

Dr. Drew Harris, MD, FCCP is a lung doctor who specializes in lung disease related to coal mine dust and is passionate about healthcare for rural and disadvantaged populations. He serves as the medical director of the Black Lung Program at Stone Mountain Health Services in southwest Virginia. He joins me today to discuss the black lung crisis in Central Appalachia, where over 1000 people have been diagnosed recently with progressive massive fibrosis, the most feared form of black lung disease. We discuss today what causes this completely preventable disease, how we can prevent it, and what makes for effective and equitable advocacy in often toxic political climates. To Do: 1- Contact your members of Congress to tell them that you are worried about the health of people who produce our energy. Insist on occupational safety standard improvement for coal workers and other miners.  2- From coal workers lung disease to pollution of local communities to climate change, energy derived from coal is unhealthy. See what you can do in your own community to transition off of fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources.  3- Learn more about this issue from the Appalachian Voice at appvoices.org. 4- If you work in healthcare or have someone in your life affected by lung disease, look into Chest Advocates to learn more about how to advocate in your own community. 5- If you want a framework for how to start advocating, check out the “Clean Air and Climate Advocacy for Busy People” episode from earlier in the season. 6 - Consider a donation to the Appalachian Citizens Law Center at aclc.org who provides free legal representation to coal miners. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram.  Record a question or comment on the podcast site or send an e-mail via the website. 

Happy 2024! Today's episode is a brief one to wish you Happy New Year and to highlight the important issue of radon. You may or may not know if you have been listening to this podcast that January is Radon Action Month. It is important to understand the risk of radon in your home, school and workplace and at a minimum to make sure that your home has been tested if appropriate. To Do: - Ensure your home is tested for radon– test every 2-5 years if you have not mitigated radon and after home upgrades. More information ⁠here⁠ - Watch and share ⁠Mateo’s video⁠ from Season Two of the podcast educating about the importance of radon testing and action. Listen to that episode for more about public health and equity issues around radon. - The ⁠EPA ⁠estimates around 1 in 5 schools may have elevated radon levels in at least one  frequently-occupied room. Find out if your child’s school has been tested for radon and whether it has been mitigated, particularly if close to or over the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L - If you are a health professional, learn more about patient outreach with this ⁠guide to radon⁠. - For more on the science of radon and how we know it causes cancer, listen to last year’s January podcast with Professor Bill Fields. - To hear a personal story about someone affected by radon, listen to the podcast with the home inspector Will Graff on Season 1, Episode 22. - Learn more about the Northwest Radon Coalition ⁠here⁠, and consider a donation to the American Lung Association ⁠here⁠. - If you are willing, please consider leaving this podcast a five star review wherever you are listening. It helps others discover this resource and share about the importance of healthy air! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram.  Record a question or comment on the podcast site or send an e-mail via the website. 

How do we find out how air pollution is affecting us at our own county and state level? Dr. Laura Gladson has been a researcher with the Health, Environment, and Policy Program at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management since 2014. On this podcast, we discuss the Health of the Air report, which shows how many people are affected in each state and county by air pollution in excess of recommended ATS standards. We also discuss separating out the toll of wildfire smoke exposure and how it affects communities, and what can be done to decrease the toll. To Do-  1- Go to the Health of the Air report to see how impacted your state or county is by air pollution. There is a list by each state at the end of the report. Contact your representatives at every level to see what can be done. Listen to last month’s episode “Clean Air and Climate Advocacy for Busy People” to learn how to get started.  2- Check the report to see how impacted your state or county is is by wildland fire smoke, and make a plan for protection. Listen to the “Our Health in Wildfire Season” episode to learn more about how to do that. You can also learn more about controlled burns and protecting your home from wildfire in the “Fighting Fire with Fire episode.” 3- You can learn more about ozone from Dr. Nassikas in the “True Cost of Ozone” episode from last season and more about PM2.5 from a host of episodes, including the “What’s in a Standard” episode with Dan Costa from Season 2 and “What’s burning” episode with Dr. Goobie from Season three.  4- To learn more about personal tools with regards to air pollution, learn more about the Air Quality Index in the “What’s in an Index” episode. 5- Consider a donation to the American Thoracic Society, which funds excellent research like that behind the Health of the Air Report and also advocates for clean air and healthier air quality standards. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram.  Record a question or comment on the podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.  Photo by Photoholgic on Unsplash

Most of us have very full busy lives and multiple competing obligations. I've struggled to fit advocacy into my life. In this episode, I share some ways I have found that work for me. It includes the following: - Climate Change and Air Pollution 101 - How to engage in advocacy in the community you already have - Start by starting - Whatever you can do is enough Advocacy is an individual journey- bring your whole self to it and also remember to put your own oxygen mask on. You don’t have to do everything, but you can do something. --- To Do: Pick one below per week or month if possible, or just pick one! Whatever works for you! 1- Find out who represents you at the city council, county, state and federal level. Send them an e-mail and introduce yourself- remember to connect on values. Lead with stories about how you see clean air and climate change affecting you and your loved ones. Ask to meet with someone on at least one of those levels whether virtually or in person.  2- Reflect on your current community and relationships- what are you already doing that could meld easily with climate and clean air advocacy? a. Working on planting (non-pollen generating) trees in parks and in historically red-lined areas? b. Solar panels, EV chargers, more in work/school/community  c. Joining a church or workplace green committee or starting one?  d. Look at the supply chain in your work- is there a big target that could be greener? Can you talk to that business about what steps they are taking to improve?  e. Greening your next meeting or get together- low methane menu options, energy efficiency, water bottle fill stations, etc 3- Scroll Air Health Our Health podcast episodes for topics of interest to you – each one has some action items and resources in the show notes and references in the associated blog link.  a. Hate noise/pollution and climate impact of leaf blowers? look into ordinances to help replace/retire them with an eye on avoiding negative impact to vulnerable communities. Listen to the “Yards on Fire” episode from Season Three. b. Passionate about EVs? Learn how the American Lung Association can help you calculate how many asthma exacerbations can be avoided and money saved in your community with the clean energy transition for transportation! Listen to the “Road to Clean Air” episode from Season One to learn more. c. Concerned about racial inequities? Learn about the history of redlining in your community, and learn how you can clean up the legacy of unhealthy air. Listen to the “Hidden in Plain Sight” episode from last season to learn more.  d. Worried about wildfires? Learn what you can do to make your community more resilient and prepare yourself and your family. There are a host of wildfire episodes from which to choose, but you can start with the “Our Health in Widlfire Season” episode from Season 2 or the “Fighting Fire with Fire” episode from season 3 to learn more.  4- Find national organizations working on clean air and a stable climate. Of course, I am fond of the American Lung Association. For parents, Moms Clean Air force is also an option in addition to many more. 5- Consider a donation to the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund to help those affected by the wildfire in Lahaina, which was spurred on by drought and hurricane force winds- both exacerbated by climate change. You can also learn about other ways to donate to address climate change here. 6- Finally, please consider leaving this podcast a 5 star review wherever you listen. I have been informed that it helps people find the podcast. Please also share an episode with friends if you find one that is helpful. If you have concerns and don’t think you can leave a 5 star review, email those concerns to me at airhealthourhealth@gmail.com.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For references - go to airhealthourhealth.org/busyadvocacy Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram. 

I was working ICU in June of 2021 during the heat dome in Oregon. Temperatures spiked to 116 degrees, which led to severe critical illness and death in our community. How does heat kill so quickly? What can we do to prevent it? For this episode, I am joined by Professor Ollie Jay. He is the Director of the Heat and Health Research Incubator and Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney in Australia. He studies extreme heat, and what we can do for ourselves, our homes, and our communities to keep people safe. We talk about the importance of understanding physiology, and how it is so important to know individual risk in individual situations- what we do to keep cool can change depending on our own vulnerabilities, what we are doing, what we are wearing, as well as the temperature and humidity in the air. To Do  Install the ClimApp for personalized thermal warnings. Make a plan for heat events with your family and for what you will do in case of power outages, brown outs and black outs. Find out who is vulnerable in your home and community, and make sure they know what to do to keep cool in heat. Check with your school about heat events plans. Let them know about the Extreme Heat Sports tool Ollie Jay shared in this episode.  Consider a “⁠fan first⁠” strategy in your home in warm weather- set the thermostat higher and use fans for circulation prior to turning on the AC. Save on energy bills and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, though if there is no AC, make sure to pay attention to alerts of thresholds at which fan use may be harmful. 6. Find out what your city, county, and state are doing to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and build for heat resiliency in your community. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram.  Record a question or comment on the podcast site or send an e-mail via the website. 

Kicking off Season Four with a great episode! As the parent of three kids and a lung doctor, I always wonder how best to balance exercise benefits when air quality is marginal. Fortunately, there are experts hard at work on understanding how we should approach this topic. Dr. Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir is chief of the pediatric pulmonary division at Columbia University and cares for patients and conducts research in the Department of Pediatrics and the Dept Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. Her multidisciplinary, award-winning, and collaborative research is focused on understanding how environmental factors impact children with asthma, particularly in urban and minority communities.  She recently served on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act Scientific Advisory Committee as a member of the particulate matter panel in 2021. On the podcast today, we discuss her research that put pollution monitors on children, and followed them. It turns out they are significantly exposed to pollution during school hours, so it is very important for schools to build clean indoor air infrastructure and to be aware of available resources, such as the EPA Air Quality flag program. To Do: 1- Download the Airnow.gov app if you haven’t yet- familiarize yourself with the Air Quality Index and who is at risk.  2- Find out whether your school follows a flag program- if not, consider discussing with your school starting a flag program. You can obtain resources and information at airnow.gov/air-quality-flag-program.  3- The EPA offers significant educational materials geared for kids as well, you can find out more about those resources at Airnow.gov, including videos in Spanish and English about air quality.  4- Our climate is changing and leading to increased wildfire smoke events. Do what you can in your community to address climate change and help mitigation plans, such as plans for clean indoor air.  5- Learn more about the AQI from Dr. Rosser in the episode “What’s in an Index?” and about PM2.5 from “What’s in a Standard” episode with Dr. Costa. These are both available in Season Two of the podcast. Learn more about ozone, the other component of the AQI from the “Money & Lives” episode from last season.  6- Consider a donation to the American Lung Association, who in addition to supporting those with lung disease, is constantly fighting for clean air for all.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit blog post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram.  Record a question or comment on the podcast site or send an e-mail via the website. 

Today's episode is a bonus episode. I was a guest on the Healthy Living Health Planet Radio show over the summer with host Bernice Butler and Professor Frank Kelly of Imperial College London, who is an air pollution expert. I think this is a very helpful episode because it does break down the basics of air pollution from a variety of sources and how they impact our health. I hope you enjoy it. If you're interested, you can subscribe to the Healthy Living Healthy Planet Radio podcast  or YouTube channel as well. For regular Air Health Our Health episodes, be sure to come back the first Monday of each month to this feed-  I will be kicking off season 4 with an episode about how to balance air quality and exercise.