Air pollution 🏭🚗🚌

[ALUK_Nurses]

Following the news coverage yesterday on air pollution in relation to the tragic death of 9 year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, you may find this post helpful:

Connecting the dots between asthma and air pollution can be incredibly hard because the threat is invisible. It might be difficult to link exposure to pollutants like traffic fumes to worsening symptoms, and the death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo- Kissi-Debrah shows how very real this risk is.

Dirty air is a possible danger for everyone with asthma, but children with asthma are particularly at risk because they have a faster breathing rate and their lungs are still developing. If you’re a parent and worried about your child’s asthma being triggered by toxic air, here are some practical steps to follow and more information:

asthma.org.uk/advice/trigge...

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l...

and for indoor pollution, please checkout 👉 asthma.org.uk/advice/trigge...

[Wheesy]

I live close to the A1 Trunk road and M18 interchange my wife ad I noticed that during the lockdown and the reduction in traffic along these roads that not only my 4 lung problems improved but also wild life and the garden prospered much better. Now after shielding for over 1 year, I have been admitted to Hospital twice with severe asthma problems. I use a personal air purifier and also when I am inside I have the window open and a air purifier by my side which help to improve the air quality. I am lucky in that I can afford these items not everyone can especially those people who are on a low income. Also as a retired Plumber & Heating engineer we tried to get customers to purchase the most ecological products, {Some people thought it was a sales boost} as they could afford. I will get off my soap box as this is a problem which local government should implement I have contacted my local MP and she what comments they make???

[ALUK_Nurses Partner Administrator ALUK Asthma Nurse in reply to Wheesy]

Thank you for sharing Wheesy, I hope you get a satisfactory response from your MP. Do give us a ring if you would like any advice on your asthma in general 0300 2225800 M-F 915-5

😊

[lucy_felton in reply to Wheesy]

Wheesy , do you have any advice around purchasing an air purifier? As per my comment below my lungs are noticing the return of poor air quality and I'd like to invest in one.

[ALUK_Nurses Partner Administrator ALUK Asthma Nurse in reply to lucy_felton]

Lucy, AllergyUK might be able to advise you this, allergyuk.org

[Wintersbite]

I have always noticed that I can't live in city or countryside areas due to my asthma being worse so I find coastal areas and village is better for me this was also proven more so when I had to do a family trip to fes about ten years ago to meet up with my husband's family for an event I ended up having 3 attacks in on day I did say back then it's because fes is a big city and the traffic is the cause as soon as we got back to the coastal areas I was fine I told my husband it's because the air is cleaner and better for me to breathe.

[Jimmy-Lyden]

Hi, I work as a driver in Royal Mail. For many years I did an early shift (not delivering letters). On my shift I would visit various offices with their mail etc. In the afternoons I would invariably do overtime. These overtime shifts varied between 3 & 5 hours. They also meant a change of vehicle to a smaller Escort / Corsa / Marina sized van. Many of these vans were up to 10 years old. Now, at the time, my asthma was pretty much out of control but I was younger and able to handle it and you don't always recognise the problem when it creeps up on you over a period of several years, just like stress. Eventually it got a lot worse and I found myself at my GP pretty much every 10 days for over 2 years. It was during a chance conversation with one of the mechanics that I found out the pollen filters weren't changed in any of the vans, ever, as it wasn't part of the service. I thought about this and concluded that driving around a city centre with a clogged up pollen filter (filters the air coming into the cabin) that was more than likely letting loose several years worth of micro crap wasn't good for my health. I then withdrew from overtime, which caused some pushback from management. It didn't matter it was a health decision, they were far from happy. In short, it took about 2 1/2 years for my lungs to recover. I now get around 7 chest infections & wheezing annually as opposed to 3 a month.

Pollution is a big problem, it's everywhere and it's really not that difficult to join the dots.

P.S. Even now management (bar one person who isn't even in my section) & union don't understand or have any interest in asthma.

[Wheezycat]

The main concern is currently about outside air pollution, and obviously that is serious!! But please also make clear that we also have air pollution indoors! Indoor air pollution can be much higher that the outdoor variety. It is impossible to totally avoid, but it matters we become aware of unnecessary contributions to this issue.

[Claire_ALUK Partner ALUK Asthma Nurse in reply to Wheezycat]

Great point Wheezycat! asthma.org.uk/advice/trigge...

[ALUK_Nurses Partner Administrator ALUK Asthma Nurse]

openaccessgovernment.org/ho...

[lucy_felton]

Yes, it's a shame that even in the middle of a respiratory pandemic such little attention is being given in the UK to air pollution. I'm guessing it's out of sight, out of mind 🤨.

For example, idling is a motoring offence, but it's not enforced in the UK. It was really noticeable how much better the air was in Lockdown 1. I've not in my entire life ever been able to breathe as well to such an extent that I would have been able to reduce my medication. I was heartbroken when the roads became busier again and near me traffic congestion is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.

I think a much more robust public health education exercise is needed to directly associate poor and unnecessary driving with harm. It's now seen as anti-social to use a mobile while driving. Instead car drivers idle while playing with their phones