Blog
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Researchers Examine Impacts of Indoor Air Quality on Quality of Life
An article in the Journal of Architectural Engineering’s December 2020 issue examines “indoor air pollution and its effect on quality of life.” Specifically, it endeavored to “move beyond physical health and associate indoor air pollution to reduced psychological and social wellbeing.” In order to carry out the study, researchers monitored homes for samples of carbon…
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EPA Releases “Meeting Current School Health Challenges and Beyond: New Tools to Assess and Address IAQ Healthy and Safety” Online
The US Environmental Protection Agency has released a recording of its October 22, 2020, webinar, “Meeting Current School Health Challenges and Beyond: New Tools to Assess and Address IAQ Healthy and Safety.” The webinar highlights strategies for improving the performance of HVAC systems in schools and reducing aerosol exposure. It also details how to implement…
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2020 USAsthma Summit Available Online
The Allergy & Asthma Network and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology hosted its 2020 USAsthma Summit on Friday, November 13th, 2020. The summit is now available for viewing online. Topics featured at the Summit include the state of asthma in the united states, telehealth for asthma, and how racism can cause health…
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American Lung Association Releases Best Practices in Virtual Asthma Management Webinar
The American Lung Association hosted a webinar on October 29th, 2020, titled “Best Practices in Virtual Asthma Management.” A recording is now available. The webinar features Dr. Gail Brottman reviewing evidence that supports the impact of virtual asthma management. It also gives step-by-step protocols and shares experiences on how to incorporate asthma control tests, asthma…
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The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Management of Asthma
The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Management of Asthma Most articles addressing asthma and COVID-19 have looked at the relationship between the likelihood of acquiring the illness and the likelihood of severe illness outcomes. Taking a different approach, an article published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Practice in September, authors Oreskovic…
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One Study Shows Asthma Associated with Decreased Risk of COVID-19 in Children
The question of whether and how asthma and COVID-19 are related has been an ongoing question since the pandemic’s start. According to the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, “Few data exist to indicate that having asthma is associated with an increased risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 or a more severe course. Recent…
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Wildfire Smoke Associated with Poorer COVID-19 Outcomes
Researchers published an article in the October edition of European Review of Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, looking at the impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 in San Francisco. The researchers looked at daily COVID-19 cases, deaths, particulate matter (PM-2.5 μm) and carbon monoxide from March 20, 2020 to Sept 16, 2020. They found that a…
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Scientists Collaborate on FAQs To Protect Yourself from COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission
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 have come together to produce a publicly accessible document on FAQs on Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission. The authors explain, “The goal of these FAQs is to provide…
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Indoor Air Quality and COVID
Asthma stakeholders have long recognized the importance of air quality. Understanding the numerous factors that make indoor air quality worse, asthma advocates have worked to reduce the presence of environmental asthma triggers — like mold or harmful cleaning products — while also incorporating the important roles of ventilation and filtration into recommendations and policies. Similarly,…
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Study Assesses Impact of Household Intervention on Indoor Air Quality and Health of Children
The Journal of Environmental and Public Health contains an article in its August 2020 edition of a study that aimed “to examine the impact of the combined intervention with asthma education and air purifier[s] on IAQ and health outcomes in the US-Mexico border area.” To conduct the study, particulate matter levels were recorded throughout houses…
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Article Examines Treatment for Children with Severe Therapy-Resistant Asthma
The September 2020 edition of The Lancet includes an article examining advances that have been made in “understanding the pathophysiology of severe therapy-resistant asthma in children.” The article looks closely at “mechanistic studies…” that “have led to the development of several biologics targeting type 2 inflammation,” which has potential to reduce asthma burdens, but requires…
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AAFA Releases Asthma Disparities in America: A Roadmap to Reducing Burden on Racial and Ethnic Minorities
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has released the report Asthma Disparities in America: A Roadmap to Reducing Burden on Racial and Ethnic Minorities. This report examines changes in asthma prevalence and outcomes since the 2005 release of AAFA’s Ethnic Disparities in the Burden and Treatment of Asthma report. Another key focus of…