Housing factors can play a significant role in respiratory health and
greatly exacerbate or increase susceptibility to asthma, allergies, and
other respiratory illnesses. For example, numerous home pollutants—dust
mites, pet dander,
cockroach debris, mold,
tobacco smoke, and paint fumes—are known to aggravate asthma. Controlling
exposure to these and other triggers in the environment benefits overall
respiratory health.
Asthma is a chronic disease in which the airways of the lungs become
inflamed or narrowed, resulting in disruptions to normal breathing patterns,
often called "attacks" or "episodes." The level of
severity of asthma suffered by each individual, and further, the severity
of each attack, varies greatly. Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, shortness
of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest, and coughing. According
to the Environmental Protection Agency, 8.7 percent of all children (6.3
million) had asthma in 2001. The American Lung Association (ALA) states
that asthma accounts for an estimated 3 million lost workdays for adults
and 10.1 million lost school days in children annually, making it the
leading cause of chronic illness among children. Additionally, ALA ranks
asthma among the top ten conditions causing limitation of activity, and
the disease costs the United States $16 billion annually.
Scientists do not know exactly what causes the development of asthma
in individuals, nor is there a cure for asthma once it has developed.
It is generally thought that some people are born with a genetic predisposition
toward developing asthma, but environmental (and potentially societal)
factors play a role in the actual development of the disease. It is this
knowledge that allows scientists to determine ways in which asthma attacks
can be prevented or limited. Generally, asthma attacks are “triggered”
by something. In relation to the home environment, triggers can be grouped
into two primary categories: allergens and irritants. Allergens are typically
defined as something that causes an allergic reaction in some people,
but not others. Indoor allergens include dust
mites, pet dander,
cockroach debris, mold.
Irritants are substances that irritate the respiratory tract and include
tobacco smoke and paint fumes.
Although many people who have asthma have respiratory allergies, not
all do. Similarly, not all people who have respiratory allergies have
asthma. Symptoms of respiratory allergies include sneezing; watery eyes;
coughing; itchy eyes, nose, and throat; and wheezing. In addition to asthma
attacks induced by allergens, respiratory allergic diseases include rhinitis
(hay fever) and sinusitis. The same indoor allergens that may trigger
asthma attacks in asthmatics can be responsible for respiratory allergies
in others. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI)
reports that allergic diseases are the sixth leading cause of chronic
disease in the United States. Less overwhelming than the statistics for
asthma but nonetheless striking, allergies account for $4.5 billion in
direct medical costs in the U.S. and 3.8 million lost work and school
days per year, according to AAAAI.
Overall, the rates of individuals suffering from asthma and allergies
are increasing. Of particular concern, however, is the disparity
in the health risks to different populations. For example,
data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National
Institutes of Health document that when compared to whites, African-Americans
have higher rates of asthma, higher numbers of emergency room visits and
hospitalizations from the disease, and three to four times the number
of asthma deaths. Particular attention and concern is also being directed
to the disproportional increases in childhood asthma rates (pre-school
aged especially), and further, among children in inner city, minority
populations.
Housing conditions can play a key role in delaying or preventing the
development of asthma and preventing or limiting the occurrence of asthma
attacks and allergic reactions. For more information on the housing hazards
most often associated with respiratory health and how to control them,
please refer to the pages available in the Health
Hazards, Preevetion and Solutions section.
Alliance for Healthy Homes - Holistic/Multi-Topic
Resources
Allergy
& Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)
American Academy
of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
American Lung
Association
Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America
Asthma
in America: Two Landmark Surveys
Asthma Moms
- includes background information, independent product evaluations, and
legislation and legal resources
Beyond Pesticides - Asthma,
Children, and Pesticides brochure
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Farewell
to Cockroaches Guide
Healthy
People 2010
Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Assessment of Asthma and
Indoor Air
- Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures - available
online, this book provides a science-based assessment examining how indoor
pollutants contribute to asthma; asthma in both general and sensitive
populations; and priorities for future policy, outreach, prevention, and
research.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the World Health Organization
- Global Initiative
for Asthma - includes several foreign language resources
National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
New
England Asthma Regional Council
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Asthma
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Asthma
Hotlines
- Asthma No Attacks Hotline: 1-866-NO-ATTACKS
(1-866-662-8822)
- General IAQ Hotline (IAQINFO): 1-800-438-4318
Sponsored by EPA, this hotline provides general information on indoor
air quality and related pollutants.
- Su Familia (Your Family): 1-866-SU FAMILIA
or 1-866-783-2645
The National
Alliance for Hispanic Health sponsors this helpline to
offer Hispanic consumers free, reliable and confidential health information
in Spanish and English and help navigate callers through the health
system.
|
