Air Health Our Health

Bienvenido/a al primer podcast de "Air Health Our Health" en español.  El Dr. Alejandro Díaz es profesor asistente de medicina en la Escuela de Medicina de Harvard, donde enseña español médico, y médico científico que estudia imágenes pulmonares en el Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  También estudia la salud respiratoria de la comunidad hispana / latina y le apasiona comprender mejor los desafíos de salud que enfrentan sus miembros.  Que puede hacer Usted? - Ten cuidado al usar agentes limpiadores.  Asegúrese de que la habitación esté bien ventilada y tal vez use su agente de limpieza como último elemento antes de salir de la habitación.   - Preste atención si los agentes son particularmente irritantes para usted y evítelos.   - Si habla inglés y cree que tiene asma o bronquitis crónica, obtenga más información en la parte del sitio web llamada "Twitch Airways Club" o sobre el asma aqui en español. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Visite el blog para mas información, o vaya a airhealthourhealth.org. Sigueme y comente en Facebook e Instagram. Grabe su pregunta o comentario en el sitio de Anchor o mandame un e-mail.

In a first on the podcast, we are joined by an analyst from Wallet Hub, a financial literacy website. Jill Gonzalez normally appears on venues such as Fox Business Network, the Wall Street Journal Live, C-Span, and Fortune. Today she joins me to talk about WalletHub's analysis - The True Cost of Smoking. Listen and learn to find out how much smoking costs the individual over a lifetime, and all the different ways it can impact one's finances.  To Do: 1- Find out what grade your state gets for tobacco control with this tool from the American Lung Association. 2- Calculate the lifetime cost of smoking in your state using the Wallet Hub tool and share that information with anyone who needs to know. 3- If you or someone you love needs to quit smoking, check out Smokefree.gov or the ALA for more information. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

Dr. Alejandro Diaz of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital joins me today to talk about chronic bronchitis and challenges facing the US Hispanic Community, as well as the health effects of cleaning agent exposure. To Do: 1- Support more research on health in Hispanic community- one such study is going on in COVID19 in Yakima WA now, funded by the ALA. There is still time to donate to our ALA fundraiser here (before Mar 14, 2021) or here (after March 14, 2021). 2- Donate to the Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund- help those who generally can’t afford a sick day stay home to care for themselves or relatives 3- Twitch Airways Club Members- be careful when using cleaning agents. Ensure the room is well-ventilated, and perhaps use your cleaning agent as the last item prior to leaving the room. Pay attention if agents any are particularly irritating to you, and avoid them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

Today on the podcast, I am joined by Gabriella Shirtcliff, who is a junior in high school and shares her experience about e-cigarettes and vaping among her peers. Karen Ard works in public health in the Deschutes County and works with Gabriella to address teen tobacco use. This episode is vital for all of us, but especially parents and educators concerned about Big Tobacco’s grip on a new generation. It also, as a bonus, gives me hope if there are as many great teens as Gabriella out there fighting for their futures. Action Items: 1- Talk to your kids or youth in your life about vaping and e-cigarettes-  You can find resources from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids here. If you or your kids use social media, share about your concerns. 2- Find out whether your state or town has Tobacco Retail Licensing. If it doesn’t, push for it at the local and state level. Use ALA’s State of Tobacco Control Report. 3- Find out whether your state, county or town has a flavor ban, and make sure it includes menthol. If it doesn’t, write your elected representatives at all levels to share why it is important. Push for the national flavor ban to include all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping. 4- Donate to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. 5- Join the Air Health Our Health Fight for Air Climb! Climb on your own terms, your own way, and raise money for the ALA! Or just donate to support our efforts if you don’t want to climb! Due date is 2/14/2021, so okay to just go to regular AHOH ALA fundraiser if you’re listening after that date. Maybe you can join next year’s team! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

Today I am joined by Will Graff. Will is a home inspector who is passionate about healthy, energy efficient, and sustainable homes. He is also a strong advocate for radon-testing, which is what he is here to talk about today. Radon is personal for him, and has affected his family in a devastating way. Today, he shares his radon story, and why he urges testing. See more about Will’s story here. This podcast is originally posted in January during National Radon Action Month. Make sure you take action! Things You Can Do Ensure your home is tested for radon- test every 2 years if you have not mitigated radon and after home upgrades. More information here -If you need help with mitigation costs, call 1-800-SOS-RADON or go here Find out what your local radon laws are- consider advocating for protective standards 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 Join the Air Health Our Health Fight for Air Climb! Climb on your own terms, your own way, and raise money for the ALA! Or just donate to support our efforts if you don’t want to climb. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

What do we know and how do we know it? To answer questions such as “What causes cancer?” we need the science of epidemiology. There is a lot of pseudoscience out there as well as well-meaning but poorly-designed studies that throw confusion on an issue. To get to the bottom of radon science, I talk today to Professor Bill Field, who is an epidemiologist and radon expert. We talk about the history of radon discoveries, how good studies are designed, as well as his own history with radiation exposure.  Things You Can Do Ensure your home is tested for radon- test every 2 years if you have not mitigated radon and after home upgrades. More information here Find out what your local radon laws are- consider advocating for protective standards 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 Join the Air Health Our Health Fight for Air Climb! Climb on your own terms, your own way, and raise money for the ALA! Or just donate to support our efforts if you don’t want to climb. If you are a health professional, learn more about patient outreach with this guide to radon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

Today's brief podcast is a reflection on the gifts of hope in the current darkness. I share my perspective as an ICU doctor seeing the toll of COVID19, and how I find joy in the midst of sorrow. We touch on what the science has shown us about indoor spread, and I share a couple strategies I have used to maintain contact with family and loved ones safely.   This is the last podcast of 2020. Thank you to those who have begun listening this year. Will see you after the holidays in 2021.   Things you can do:  1- Follow health authority guidelines for pandemic safety- CDC guidelines here  2- Get outdoors if you can  3- Donate to your local foodbank  4- Get your flu shot  5- Join or donate to the Fight For Air Climb to benefit the American Lung Association and their lifesaving COVID19 research and more. Would be great to have you on the Air Health Our Health team! -------------------------------------  For more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram. Record a question or comment on the Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

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). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit episode post for more information, or go to airhealthourhealth.org. Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram. Record a question or comment on the Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

I am joined today by Professor Christopher Migliaccio, who is a researcher and professor at the University of Montana Center for Environmental Health Sciences. He studies the way the immune system of the lung interacts with environmental exposures. He has studied the impact of wildfire smoke on our health and published a study that is useful to understanding the potential impact of short term, high levels of exposure. We discuss the impact of the heavy smoke that affected Seeley Lakes, Montana in 2017 and what the long-term effect on that community was. We discuss influenza rates in the year following as well as impact on lung function.  What can you do? 1- Make sure you have a plan for indoor air quality- remember fire and smoke season will come again; make sure you have a place in your home at least where you can breathe healthy air. See earlier post on indoor air quality prior and listen to the episode with Professor Gall for more information. 2- Get your flu shot- this is always a good idea, but increased flu burden was seen in the year following the severe smoke exposure in Seeley Lake. 3- Donate to your local food bank! 4- Donate to those working for healthier air and helping those with lung disease. Consider a donation to the Air Health Our Health fundraiser for the ALA- link here! 5- Spread the word about health air by being a billboard! Check out the Air Health Our Health shop for options. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.

Dr. Beate Ritz, MD, PhD became interested in air pollution and its effects on pregnancy when she was pregnant herself. She has a wide-ranging career, but over the last several decades has helped us understand more about the impacts of every day transportation-related air pollution on pregnant women and their children. Listen and learn! As always, for links to the studies, please be sure to visit the website. Professor Ritz also contributed to this video for a summary of pollution effects on newborns. What can you do? 1- Be considerate about flying. Save money and air quality! Can you schedule that business meeting over video conferencing? Can you take a local vacation? Save up your flights for the truly important trips, like those to visit family or particularly extraordinary or important experiences. 2- Ask your community and local airport to be thoughtful about the total burden of air pollution being brought in. Consider actions like zero or low emissions airport shuttles and transportation, increased public transportation service to the airport, etc, to offset the burden of jet fuel in the area while we hope for future, cleaner air travel. 3- Donate to those working for healthier air and to keep a public health lens on the transportation sector. Consider a donation to the Air Health Our Health fundraiser for the ALA- link here! 4- Spread the word about health air by being a billboard! Check out the Air Health Our Health shop for options. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Anchor podcast site or send an e-mail via the website.