Secondhand smoke exposure increases risk of long-term effects in children

Study exposes strong link between childhood exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and chronic cough in adulthood

Breathing smoke between birth and 15 years of age can
have serious health consequences later in life: Study

Exposing children to secondhand smoke could have long-term effects on their health and well-being, University of Arizona researchers warn.

Even non-smokers who were exposed to passive smoking as children are more likely to develop chronic chest infections, they say.

The researchers analyzed data from questionnaires answered by study participants every two years over more than 20 years. More than half of the participants had been exposed to smoke in their younger years.

The scientists adjusted for other factors and found a strong link between the exposure and several persistent respiratory symptoms, especially cough and chronic cough.

Parental smoking also affected the risk of wheezing and asthma in adulthood, although the association was slightly weaker.

Persistent respiratory symptoms may be early risk factors of more serious lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life.

Source: Daily Mail

Air purifiers for smoke and tobacco odors

Secondhand smoke is a serious risk not just for the smoker, but also for other people who may be exposed – especially if the smoking occurs indoors.

It’s difficult to remove stale tobacco odors and the lingering chemicals and toxins from the ambient air, but the right air purifier can provide cleaner and healthier air without running the risk of clogging.

AllerAir's air purifiers for
tobacco smoke and odors.

AllerAir has developed a range of air purifiers for tobacco smoke that feature the most efficient filters and features.

The 5000 DS and DXS models remove toxins and odors with a tar-trapping pre-filter, a medical-grade HEPA filter for smoke particles (and other fine particles) as well as a deep-bed activated carbon filter filled with granular virgin activated carbon.

Contact AllerAir for more information.

Cigarette smoke exposure increases children’s risk of developing COPD

Exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood can
double the risk of COPD in adulthood, a study shows.

Children who are exposed to passive tobacco smoke have almost double the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adulthood compared with non-exposed children, according to a new study published in the journal Respirology.

Researchers in Norway analyzed information from patients with COPD (433) as well as a control group (325) and assessed risk factors for COPD by gender.

Passive smoke emerged as one of the biggest risks, doubling the participants' risk for COPD and respiratory symptoms in adulthood.

The results were most pronounced for women, who had a 1.9-fold greater risk of COPD if they were exposed to passive smoke during childhood than those who were not.

Men had a 1.5 to 1.7-fold greater risk of COPD if they were exposed to tobacco smoke during childhood.

The research shows that early-life development of lung function has important long-term consequences and that the burden of COPD could be reduced if children were not exposed to cigarette smoke, the study authors say.

Source: Wiley-Blackwell

Air purifiers for tobacco smoke and odors

Getting rid of stale tobacco smoke and the associated toxins is not easy, since the pollutants can persist on textiles, walls and other surfaces.

To help provide a healthier indoor air environment, an air purifier needs to have the right air filters that can handle tobacco smoke.

AllerAir specializes in air purifiers for tobacco smoke and has outfitted its air purifiers with the deepest beds of activated carbon, a special tar-trapping pre-filter that prevents clogging, a HEPA filter and more.

These air purifiers for smoke can effectively remove the chemicals, particles and toxins associated with tobacco smoke, along with other indoor air pollutants.

Contact AllerAir to find out more about the 5000 DS or 6000 DS air purifiers for smoke.
 

Could Cleaner Air Actually Prevent or Slow Down the Progression of COPD? By AllerAir Air Purifiers

Researchers in Denmark have found that long-term exposure to low-level air pollution may increase the risk of developing severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

While several days of exposure to high level air pollution was known to be a risk factor for exacerbating an existing case of COPD, this is the first study to actually link long-term air pollution exposure to the development or progression of the condition.

Many COPD sufferers, and the public in general, are unaware that chronic exposure to low levels of air pollution is most likely to occur in their own homes.  The EPA reports that indoor air pollution levels, especially from airborne chemicals, can be 2 to 5 times higher than levels recorded outdoors.

The lead researcher for the new study, Zorana Andersen, Ph.D., says the results are significant on a number of levels.

“Patients, primary care physicians, pulmonologists and public health officials should all take note of our findings,” commented Dr. Anderson.

“We found significant positive associations between levels of all air pollution proxies and COPD incidence. When we adjusted for smoking status and other confounding factors, the association remained significant; indicating that long-term pollution exposure likely is a true risk factor for developing COPD.”

These associations between air pollution exposure and COPD were slightly stronger for men, obese patients and those eating less than 240 grams of fruit each day (approximately eight ounces, or just more than a single serving). But notably, the effect of air pollution on COPD was strongest in people with pre-existing diabetes and asthma.

“These results are in agreement with those of other cross-sectional studies on COPD and air pollution, and longitudinal studies of air pollution and lung function, and strengthen the conclusion that air pollution is a causal agent in development of COPD,” said Dr. Andersen.

The enhanced association between increased risk of COPD and air pollution in asthmatics and diabetics suggests the possibility of an underlying link.

“It is plausible that airflow obstruction and hyper-responsiveness in people with asthma, or systemic inflammation in people with diabetes, can lead to increased susceptibility of the lung to air pollution, resulting in airway inflammation and progression of COPD, but more research is needed in this area.” said Dr. Andersen.

“In any case, sufficient data, including the results of this study, provide evidence that traffic-related urban air pollution contributes to the burden of COPD and that reductions in traffic emissions would be beneficial to public health.”

The Danish research study was published online and ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

AllerAir Industries is a respected manufacturer of high efficiency air purifiers.

Unlike other air cleaners, AllerAir units are known for their unique filtration systems that not only incorporate medical-grade HEPA filters for fine particles, but deep-bed carbon filters for airborne chemicals, gases and odors.

For more information on improving your indoor air quality, contact one of our Air Quality Experts today.

Indoor Air Pollution Especially Dangerous for People with COPD

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, outdoor and indoor air pollution is especially dangerous to people with lung deficiencies, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Here are some tips designed to help people with COPD to breathe better:

1. Smoke is one of the most dangerous pollutants that a person with COPD can inhale, and it’s also the major cause of COPD. There are over 4,000 harmful chemicals in smoke, many of which are also known to cause cancer. If you have COPD and you are a smoker, it’s still not too late to quit smoking.

2. Second-hand smoke, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada is also dangerous. People with COPD should avoid second-hand smoke as much as possible.

3. Indoor and outdoor air pollution can cause health problems, especially for people who have lung diseases. Those with COPD have a higher risk of getting sick from air pollution. Be aware of your local Air Quality Index, and stay indoors when outdoor pollution is high.

Keep in mind, indoor air is often worse than outdoor air. The EPA estimates inside air can be 5, 10 and up to 100 times worse than outdoor air. Make sure you’re getting lots of fresh air in your home.

4. Air purifiers are a great way to provide safe, clean air in your home or business. Ideally, your air purifier will combine a HEPA filter as well as pounds of activated carbon to safely eliminate chemicals, gases, odors and particles from your indoor environment.

For more information on the importance of breathing clean air, or how air purifiers can help people with COPD, please visit www.allerair.com or contact one of AllerAir’s Indoor Air Quality Experts at 1.888.852.8247.

November is COPD Awareness Month: Can Air Purifiers Help People with COPD?

I read an article on the web this morning that said people with COPD should be careful when buying an air purifier, and the truth is, I tend to agree with this statement.

The article stated that COPD is a “serious life threatening health problem that can be aggravated with the use of inferior poor performance air filters.”

First, what is COPD?
According to Wikipedia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a disease of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed. This leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs causing shortness of breath. In contrast to asthma, the limitation of airflow is poorly reversible and usually gradually gets worse over time.

So can an air purifier help a person with COPD?
An October 2008 report by the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health reports that people with COPD “have substantial mortality risks associated with exposure to particles.” According to the study, particles may impair ventilation in COPD patients by causing airway narrowing and increasing the work of breathing.

So while air purifiers are certainly not a cure for COPD, they can provide cleaner air, which according to the Harvard study, is paramount to people with COPD.

A good HEPA filter can remove 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns from indoor air. It’s pretty safe to say that most air purifiers come (or should come) equipped with a HEPA filter— and since there is no such thing as a “better” HEPA filter, then it would be difficult to separate a superior air filter, from a poor performance air filter based simply on its HEPA filter.

While HEPA filters are indeed designed to remove particles, and since any good purifier comes equipped with this filtration method, what then makes one air purifier superior to another?

Not Just Particles—- Chemicals are also Dangerous for People with COPD
Inhaling chemicals such as gas, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, or dry particulate chemicals, such as microscopic particles is dangerous for everyone, but can be especially dangerous for people with COPD. In fact the number one cause for COPD is smoking… and one of the main chemicals in smoke is formaldehyde.

But formaldehyde is also emitted from other everyday things, other than cigarettes, like stain-resistant furniture, flame retardant clothing, wood products such as particleboard, fiberboard, and plywood, and even carpeting, upholstery and baby furniture. In fact, formaldehyde is found in many seemingly harmless things, despite it being considered a human carcinogen. A branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency goes so far as to report that there is no safe level of formaldehyde.

Carbon for Chemicals
Activated carbon is one of the most adsorbent materials known to exist. Activated carbon has been processed to create millions of tiny pores, producing a very large surface area available for adsorption of chemicals and gases. Just one gram of activated carbon has a surface area of approximately 500 m².

Carbon is key when it comes to adsorbing chemicals, just as HEPA is key to filtering particles. The difference is, not all air purifiers have carbon. And many that do, feature mere ounces of carbon, or a type of carbon spray—- both of which are equally ineffective in adsorbing chemicals.

An effective chemical-adsorbing air purifier, and an ideal choice for people with COPD, would be an air purifier that contains both a HEPA filter for particles, and pounds of activated carbon to adsorb dangerous airborne chemicals, like formaldehyde.

Can Air Purifiers Cure COPD?
Absolutely not. Air purifiers are not a cure for COPD, but rather devices that can provide cleaner indoor air, with significantly reduced levels of particles and chemicals. Cleaner air is important for everyone, but perhaps most important for people with reduced lung capacity.

Conclusion
Should people with COPD be cautious when purchasing an air purifier? The answer is yes. A HEPA filter is great for particle filtration, but will do nothing to adsorb the dangerous airborne chemicals. Carbon will adsorb chemicals, but only an air purifier with pounds of activated carbon, not ounces, will be truly effective.

About AllerAir
AllerAir manufactures a full line of combination carbon-HEPA air purifiers, and has specific units designed for people with COPD. For more information on AllerAir, please visit the www.allerair.com website, or call 1.888.852.8247 to speak to one of their Indoor Air Quality Experts.

AllerAir Dedicates November to Raising Awareness about COPD

Barely 12 hours have gone by since we announced that we were dedicating the month of November to raising awareness about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and already this morning, the phones have started ringing throughout AllerAir.

It feels good to answer the phone first thing in the morning, and have the person on the other end say—- hey, just saw your press release—- just called to say, the team at AllerAir is doing a great job!

The truth is, it’s really not such a stretch for us. AllerAir deals with people of all different ages, stages and health—- and also people with health conditions, such as COPD.

After all, it’s the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. The 4th.

What we offer to people with COPD is a line of air purifiers that are designed to clean the air of toxins. And according to Environment Canada, studies show there are more emergency room visits related to COPD when air quality is poor.

Cleaner air is what we do at AllerAir. We’re always striving to raise awareness about its importance. We figure, clean air is important to everyone—- but perhaps, even more so, to people with COPD.

For more information on COPD, visit our www.allerair website and click on the November is COPD Awareness Month button.

You can also visit the COPD Learn More Breathe Better® website, hosted by The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

For information on AllerAir air purifiers designed for people with COPD, visit our www.allerair.com website, or contact one of our Indoor Air Quality Experts at 1.888.852.8247.