Highway proximity responsible for high asthma rates

Living close to a busy highway can affect your health.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A new study found that living close to heavily congested highways correlated with higher rates of asthma.

New York researchers examined 62 randomly selected adults, including 45 patients with rhinoconjunctivitis or asthma and 17 healthy control, to see if a heavily trafficked highway has any impact on the condition.

The study participants were asked to report asthma symptoms and provide information on their living conditions.

Seasonal allergies did not seem to increase the risk of asthma, whereas proximity to busy highways was found to have a strong link, according to the researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Their results showed that vehicle emissions increase the risk of asthma, a respiratory disorder that is characterized by wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing as well as breathing problems.

Congested highways are a common sight in North American cities, where housing developments are often built close to the roadways for easy access.

To minimize vehicle emissions, experts recommend

• Carpooling
• Using more public transportation
• No idling
• Keeping the car well maintained
• Driving smoothly without hard accelerations or braking

Source: Greener Ideas

Keep air pollution out with indoor air purifiers

Vehicle emissions and other outdoor air pollutants can make their way into homes, where they can build up and affect people’s health and well-being.

Since we spend so much time indoors, good indoor air quality is important to keep health effects in check and to minimize exposure to harmful contaminants.

AllerAir’s general purpose air purifiers can help remove airborne chemicals, gases, fumes, odors, fine particles, dust, allergens, mold, bacteria and viruses with a multistage filtration system containing activated carbon and HEPA.

Specialized air purifiers for allergies and asthma can provide cleaner and healthier air in the bedroom, the living areas or any other space where it is needed.

“[My asthmatic son] no longer needs to use his asthma inhaler when he visits!”
Evan Berljawsky, owner of a 6000 Exec
Read more testimonials

For more information, contact AllerAir.

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It’s time we do something about traffic air pollution

Vehicle exhaust is deadlier than
road accidents, scientists claim.

If your daily grind to get to work involves a lot of traffic, you could put your health at a much higher risk than previously thought.

The risk doesn’t come from road rage or collisions – it’s the fumes that are twice as deadly accidents, British experts say.

According to new research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, more than 5,000 people die prematurely from conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease due to emissions.

Airplane exhaust fumes cause another 2,000 annual deaths, while industrial emissions causing polluted air can be blamed for about 19,000 deaths per year in Britain.

Road accidents, on the other hand, claimed the lives of “only” 1,850 people in 2010.

Of course, road deaths are usually immediate, while air pollution deaths may occur much later in life.

Another study from the Harvard School of Public Health says that long-term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of various health problems in our later years, including diabetes (see yesterday’s blog post as well), pneumonia, heart disease or stroke.

The concerns from traffic emissions and air pollution include fine particulate matter (2.5M) and fumes.

Source: The Telegraph

Keep indoor air clean with air purifiers

Keeping windows closed in busy traffic and changing the filters in the car regularly will go a long way to reduce exposure.

But the problem with traffic fumes and outdoor air pollution is that it can make its way into our homes and build up to dangerous levels.

That’s why AllerAir has developed serious air purifiers with activated carbon and HEPA air filters to reduce those dangerous pollutants in the ambient air.

They work efficiently around the clock, removing airborne chemicals, gases, odors, fumes, particles, dust, bacteria, viruses and even mold.

AllerAir's 5000 Series:
Serious air purifiers

Recommended units:

5000 Exec: AllerAir’s most popular base model provides all-around protection with an 18 lb. carbon filter for gaseous pollutants and a medical-grade HEPA for the removal of 99.97% of particles at 0.3 microns.

5000 D Exec: Recommended for areas with high levels of pollution, this air purifier features even more carbon in a 24 lb. carbon filter and a micro-HEPA wrap rated at 99% efficient for particles at 0.1 microns.

AirMedic Exec: AllerAir’s most efficient unit when it comes to particles, this air purifier contains an 18 lb. carbon filter and a medical-grade HEPA as well as a 360-degree air intake for maximum air cleaning power.
For more information, contact AllerAir.
 

Freeway air bad for the brain

Study finds brain damage typical of aging and memory loss after short-term exposure to vehicle pollution

A new study reveals that after short-term exposure to vehicle pollution, mice showed significant brain damage — including signs associated with memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

The mind-numbing pollution is not an exhaust gas, but a mix of tiny particles from burning of fossil fuel and weathering of car parts and pavement, according to the study to be published today in the leading journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Many studies have drawn a link between vehicle pollution and health problems. This is the first to explore the physical effect of freeway pollution on brain cells.

The authors found a way to recreate air laden with freeway particulate matter inside the laboratory. Whether in a test tube or in live mice, brain cells showed similar responses:

• Neurons involved in learning and memory showed significant damage,
• The brain showed signs of inflammation associated with premature aging and Alzheimer's disease,
• Neurons from developing mice did not grow as well.

Exposure lasted a total of 150 hours, spread over 10 weeks, in three sessions per week lasting five hours each.

AllerAir recommends to anyone living in close proximity to highways to consider using an air purifier like an Air Medic, with a medical-grade HEPA filter for fine particles and a deep-bed activated carbon filter for chemicals and odors.

For more information on AllerAir air cleaners, connect with us:
 www.allerair.com
1-888-852-8247
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