Blog
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Study Confirms Fine Particulate Air Pollution Disproportionately Affects People of Color in the United States
An article in the April 2021 edition of Science Advances details how ambient fine particulate air pollution polluters disproportionately affect people of color in the United States. The study found “emission sources that disproportionately expose” people of color “are pervasive throughout society.” Fine particulate air pollution exposures are “higher than average for POC [People of…
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California Breathing Releases Asthma Inequities in California Children Infographic
California Breathing has released the second infographic in a series of plain language infographics designed to highlight asthma statistics in California. The Asthma Inequities in California Children infographic contains information about health inequities, comparisons between adults and children with asthma, and comparisons between White, Black, and Hispanic or Latino Children. To view the infographic, click…
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Political Economy Research Institute Releases Air Toxics at School Tool
The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has released an interactive “Air Toxics at School” tool to help track industrial toxic air pollution at every school in the US. The tool reports toxicity-weighted concentrations of pollutants to demonstrate comparative individual chronic human health risk from toxic air pollutants at the school…
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UC Davis Releases Video on Importance of Filtration in Schools
The Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis has released a video detailing the importance of filtration in schools. With children spending such a large portion of their day indoors at school, it’s essential to ensure adequate filtration and ventilation in classrooms. The video is eight minutes long. For more information and to view the…
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Presentation on COVID, Asthma and Safe Schools
On May 18, 2021, RAMP hosted a presentation by Naomi Bardach, MD MAS on safe school re-openings during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to describing the research that has been conducted to date and the state of California recommendations for safe re-opening, Dr. Bardach provided community health workers and other asthma educators with information to…
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RAMP CHW Meeting: COVID, Asthma, & Safe Schools
Naomi Bardach, MD MAS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Policy in the Department of Pediatrics and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California San Francisco, presented “COVID, Asthma, & Safe Schools” on May 18, 2021. To view the full presentation, click here. RAMP hosts regular convenings for CHWs, promotoras,…
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World Asthma Day 2021: Reflective on a Year of Challenge and Resilience
For over a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended everyone’s lives. From the millions of lives lost to the growing economic inequities to the massive changes in our experiences with school, work, and community, the impacts of COVID-19 are vast and ongoing. For World Asthma Day 2021, we reflect on how the pandemic has affected…
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The Role of Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 and Mitigation Measures
Back in October, 2020, we shared a link to a document of FAQs on Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission, developed collaboratively by scientists and engineers with many years of collective research experience related to indoor air quality, aerosol science, aerosol disease transmission, and engineered control systems for aerosols. While the authors continue to update…
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Inhaled Budesonide Shows Promise as a Treatment of Early COVID-19
As shared in RAMP’s previous updates on emerging research related to COVID-19 and asthma, multiple early reports of patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 showed that people with asthma and other chronic respiratory disease were significantly under-represented. Some researchers have suggested that asthma might provide some protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes. On April 9,…
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Freight Automation: Dangers, Threats, and Opportunities for Health and Equity
Freight Automation: Dangers, Threats, and Opportunities for Health and Equity takes a deep dive into how automation in the freight transportation system affects the health of workers, communities, and the environment — and also how these effects will be inequitably felt by people with low incomes and communities of color. Background The freight transportation system in…
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Study Highlights Associations Between Environmental Chemicals and Asthma
In the February edition of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health contains an article examining the connections between environmental chemicals and asthma. The study reports “environmental chemicals, prioritized for investigation in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative… which are associated or possible associated with asthma.” The researchers note “exposures to polyaromatic hydrocarbons and…
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Researchers Examine Environmental and Lifestyle Determinants of Asthma Using Exposome Approach
The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health’s January 2021 edition features an article examining asthma using the exposome approach, looking at all exposures of an individual and how they relate to health. The researchers review recent studies “linking multiple families of exposures to asthma-related outcomes.” While they note studies “showed differences in terms…