Clean up your home to improve your lung health
Our bodies are extremely resilient when it comes to certain diseases and conditions. We have complex mechanisms in place to keep our heart pumping, our immune system working and our pH balance just right. Yet sometimes our bodies can’t keep up with the harmful exposures that they encounter every day.
One of our toughest yet most vulnerable systems is our respiratory system. It is one of the few systems directly exposed to the outside world and because of that, we are continuously inhaling harmful pollutants that make our lungs at risk for developing or worsening chronic diseases.
In 2016, Lincoln County saw 176 emergency room admissions for asthma-related conditions and an additional 1,234 people visit the ER for exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. The prevalence of respiratory diseases in Lincoln County is, on average, higher than in the rest of Montana.
There are many outdoor pollutants that may be contributing to our poor respiratory health numbers such as wood smoke, poor outdoor air quality and asbestos exposure. However, people need to understand is how our indoor air quality may have just as big an impact on our respiratory health.
If you are a person suffering from or diagnosed with a chronic lung disease such as asbestosis, COPD, asthma or emphysema, then you may want to clean up your home to help prevent your condition from worsening or triggering an event that may send you to the hospital.
Let’s start by identifying the exposures within our home that may be the source of some of these pollutants:
- Mold spores, mildew, cockroaches and dust mites
- Indoor pets with heavy dander or shedding
- Carbon monoxide, radon, and asbestos
- Exhaust from fuel burning stoves and heaters including gas and wood sources
- Second hand and third hand tobacco smoke
- Using harmful chemicals or pesticides indoors like ammonia, bleach, bug sprays and harsh cleaners
- Paint fumes
- Car exhaust
- Excessive humidity and moisture
- Unwashed linens, carpets and drapes
Even in small amounts, these sources may be worsening your lung disease and making it harder to breath. If you are someone or are living with someone who has a chronic lung disease, then take the following steps to make your home healthier:
- Quit using tobacco and prohibit tobacco use in your home
- Avoid or reduce allergen exposure
- Ensure ample ventilation and air movement in your home to keep moisture content below 30 percent humidity
- Use beauty products with little or no aerosol
- Use allergy blocking pillows and bedding and wash them often
- Use non aerosol and non-toxic household cleaners; avoid chemicals with harsh fumes
- Use exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom for proper ventilation
- Never run engines in a closed garage
- Have your home tested for radon, carbon monoxide and asbestos
- Use HEPA filters in your air ducts, fans and vacuums
- Clean areas often where mold and mildew grow like bathrooms, windowsills and kitchens
- Wash linens, carpets and drapes regularly
- Clear up your clutter! A cluttered home collects dust and allergens and makes cleaning your home difficult.
These steps can improve the quality of the air you breathe in your home and may reduce the triggers that can send someone with a chronic lung disease to the hospital.
For more information contact Lincoln County Health Department at 406-283-2442.
Riley Black is public health nurse at Lincoln County Public Health Department.