S GGASTHMA TRIGGER AWARENESSAWARENESS

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Prepared by: Brian K. Kasher, CET Manager, CMS Environmental Health and Safety

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

2010 CMS Asthma Forum Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Myers Park Baptist Church

Asthma & Air Quality in HistoryFlorence NightingaleBernardino Ramazzini

18th-century Italian physician, describedphysician, described "asthma" in bakers, miners, farmers, gilders, tinsmiths, glass-workers,

f d thprofessors and other professions.Outlined health hazards of the dusts, fumes or gases that

Coined the importance of IAQ and Ventilation

“The First Cannon of Nursing”

fumes, or gases that such workers inhaled.

De Morbis Artificum The relationship of air quality and

health is not new knowledge. The first (Diseases of Workers)

Padua, 1713

gknown respirator was made of animal bladders by Pliny the Elder in the First

Century A.D.

Why is Asthma Increasing Today?

• Homes used to be made of brick, stone, mortar metal and woodmortar, metal and wood

• Today thousands of compounds are used in our buildings that did not exist in the pastin our buildings that did not exist in the past

• Buildings are much tighter and offer less natural breath ability and fresh airnatural breath ability and fresh air

• Children are spending more time indoors

• Outdoor air has many and much more contaminants today than historically

Know Your Child’s Asthma Triggers

Control Animal Allergens

•Dogs, cats, rodents (including hamsters and guinea pigs) and th l t i thother mammals can trigger asthma

•Proteins in the dander, urine or saliva of warm-blooded animals (e.g., cats, dogs, mice, rats, gerbils, birds, etc.) have been ( g , , g , , , g , , )reported to cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma

Control Pest Allergens

•Droppings or body parts of cockroaches and other pests can trigger asthma.

•Certain proteins in cockroach feces and saliva and can causeCertain proteins in cockroach feces and saliva and can cause allergic reactions, or trigger asthma symptoms.

Control Moisture and Mold

•There is no practical way to eliminate all mold indoors; the•There is no practical way to eliminate all mold indoors; the way to control indoor mold is to control moisture

•If you think you have a mold problem you do not need environmental testing to determine what kind you haveenvironmental testing to determine what kind you have.

•Simply clean the mold from the surface it's growing on and dry the surface thoroughly.

Control Second Hand Smoke Exposure

•Secondhand smoke consists of exhaled smoke from smokers d id t k f th b i d f i ttand side stream smoke from the burning end of a cigarette,

cigar or pipe.

•Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 substances, including several compounds that are known carcinogens andincluding several compounds that are known carcinogens and which may be asthma triggers.

Control Dust Mites

•Dust mites are tiny insects that are invisible to the naked eye.Dust mites are tiny insects that are invisible to the naked eye. •All homes have dust mites that feed on human skin flakes. They live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, furniture, bedcovers, clothes, stuffed toys and fabric-covered items. B d t d f f d t it t i th•Body parts and feces from dust mites can trigger asthma

•Exposure to dust mites can cause asthma in children who have not previously exhibited asthma symptoms.

Know Outdoor Air Conditions! Visit: www.airnow.govVisit: www.airnow.gov

•The AQI index reports air quality daily. It tells you how clean or polluted the air is and what health effects might be a concernair is, and what health effects might be a concern.

•The AQI focuses on health effects that may be experienced within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. •EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,

and nitrogen dioxide.

What are Asthma Triggers?• Dust mites• Molds & Yeasts • Pollens

Vi l i f i

• Cockroach particles • Cat hair (dander) & saliva • Dog hair (dander) and saliva

• Viral infection• Certain air pollutants • Exercise• Cold air

g ( )• Yeast spores • Metabisulfite, used as a

preservative in many beverages and some foods • Cold air

• Chemical fumes and other strong-smelling substances like perfumes

beverages and some foods • Gas, wood, coal, and

kerosene heating units • Natural gas, propane, or

k k f l • Intense emotions• More More More

gkerosene cooking fuels

• Smog • Wood smoke

Weather changes• Weather changes

USEPA IAQ Tools for Schools Program

Informative GuidesVideos

Problem Solving Wheel

RESOURCES

EPA ASTHMA PUBLICATIONShttp://www.epa.gov/asthma/publications.html#Clear Your Homehttp://www.epa.gov/asthma/publications.html#Clear_Your_Home

EPA ASTHMA & PETS WEBSITEhttp://www.epa.gov/asthma/pets.html

AIR QUALITY INDEX http://airnow.gov/

CMS ASTHMA EDUCATIONhttp://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/csh/asthmaedu/Pages/d

efault.aspx

USEPA NATIONAL MODEL OFUSEPA NATIONAL MODEL OF SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE