Blog
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CA Department of Public Health Releases “The Burden of Chronic Disease, Injury, and Environmental Exposure, California, Second Edition”
The California Department of Public Health has released a report on “The Burden of Chronic Disease, Injury, and Environmental Exposure, California, Second Edition.” The report looks closely at the burden of dealing with chronic conditions, injuries, and environmental exposures and how you can work toward successes in creating health communities. The report examines 15 chronic…
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EPA Adds More Indoor Air Quality Questions and Answers to Its COVID-19 FAQ Webpage
RAMP and partners working to reduce the burden of asthma have long recognized the importance of healthy indoor air quality. Whether we’re talking about improving air filtration and ventilation (through HVAC systems or portable air purifiers) or avoiding things that make the air quality worse (like environmental tobacco smoke or harmful cleaning products), we educate…
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CDC and AAAAI Differ on Asthma Management at School During COVID-19 Pandemic
On June 3, 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their FAQs on students returning to school in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically related to students with asthma, the FAQs address: asthma treatments with inhalers/spacers, the use of nebulizers, and the use of peak flow meters. The CDC provides the…
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The Struggle Against Systemic Racism
Like so many of you, our hearts are filled with sadness and anger over the outrageous deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many, many others. As we started to write this post on June 1st, police officers were tear-gassing peaceful protesters in Washington DC. That was just one of many acts of…
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Asthma, Spirometry and COVID-19
In late May, 2020, two articles were published on the use of lung function testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 29th, the Lancet published “Lung function testing in the COVID-19 endemic” by James H Hull et al. On May 24th, the Italian Journal of Pediatrics published “Italian Pediatric Respiratory Society Recommendations on Pediatric Pulmonary Function Testing During…
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Data on COVID-19 Mortality by Race and Ethnicity Underscore Disparities
New figures compiled by the non-partisan APM Research Lab and released on May 20th, 2020, provide further evidence of the staggering divide in the COVID-19 death rate between black Americans and the rest of the United States population. Authors were able to gather and analyze data on race and ethnicity for 88% of COVID-19 deaths…
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Study Examines Value of Stock Asthma Rescue Medications in Schools
The April 2020 edition of Pediatrics contains an article examining the value of having stock asthma rescue (or reliever) medication laws in schools. “Some states have found these policies reduce the need for 911 calls and emergency medical services transports as a result of asthma exacerbations.” Researchers found that “initial data also demonstrate that these…
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Natural Resources Defense Council Releases Report Examining Clean Air Act
The National Resources Defense Council has released a report titled “Clearing the Air: The Benefits of the Clean Air Act.” The report estimates emissions reductions since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and enumerates the health and economic benefits. It also delves into the attacks the law is facing from the current administration and…
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UCLA School of Public Health Releases “Effects of Residential Gas Appliances on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health in California”
The UCLA School of Public Health has released a report titled, “Effects of Residential Gas Appliances on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health in California.” Based originally on a study, it assesses the additional indoor and outdoor air pollution impacts of residential gas appliances on health effects as well as investigates the benefits…
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Environmental Law Institute Releases Report “Reducing Indoor Exposure to Particle Pollution from Outdoor Sources: Policies and Programs to Improve Air Quality in Homes”
The Environmental Law Institute has released a report titled “Reducing Indoor Exposure to Particle Pollution from Outdoor Sources: Policies and Programs to Improve Air Quality in Homes.” The report supports efforts to increase “resilience and adaptive capacity of individuals and buildings” to reduce indoor exposure to outdoor pollutants. The report provides background on health effects…
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Study Concludes Asthma Prolongs Intubation in COVID-19
In an article published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice on May 14, 2020, researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago report the results of their study on the role of asthma in the outcome of COVID-19 infection in a large cohort of COVID-19 positive patients. Consistent with other published literature,…
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Impact of asthma medications on COVID outcomes
On May 6, 2020, in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Johns Hopkins researchers published “Asthma, Biologics, Corticosteroids, and COVID-19.” The authors reinforce the message that current data on the risk of acquiring COVID-19 or disease severity in patients with asthma is limited and they identify recommendations for future research (in the table below). In…