"Clear Your Home
of Asthma Triggers"
Office of Air and Radiation
Indoor Environments Division (6609J)
EPA/402-F-99-005, July 1999
[courtesy of US EPA]
Act now against
asthma at home.
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Asthma is a serious lung disease.
During an asthma attack, the airways get narrow, making it
difficult to breathe.
Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, shortness of breath, and
coughing.
Asthma can even cause death.
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If you have asthma, or a child with asthma, you are not
alone.
About 17 million Americans have asthma.
Asthma is the leading cause of long-term illness in children.
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The air that children breathe can make a difference.
Asthma may be triggered by allergens and irritants that are common
in homes.
Help your child breathe easier: consult a doctor and reduce asthma
triggers in your home.
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Clear Your Home Of Asthma Triggers
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Below are five common asthma triggers
found in homes and what you can do to reduce you and your child's
exposure to them.
Not all of the asthma triggers listed here affect every person with
asthma.
Not all asthma triggers are listed here.
See your doctor or health care provider for more information. |
[courtesy
of U.S. E.P.A.] |
Secondhand Smoke
Asthma can be triggered by the smoke from the burning end of a
cigarette, pipe, or cigar and the smoke breathed out by a smoker. |
[courtesy of U.S. E.P.A.]
Choose not to smoke in your home or car and do not allow others to do
so either. |
Dust Mites
Dust mites are too small to be seen but are found in every home.
Dust mites live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, fabric-covered
furniture, bedcovers, clothes, and stuffed toys. |
[courtesy of U.S. E.P.A.]
Wash sheets and blankets once a week in hot water.
Choose washable stuffed toys, wash them often in hot water, and dry
thoroughly. Keep stuffed toys off beds.
Cover mattresses and pillows in dust-proof (allergen-impermeable)
zippered covers. |
Pets
Your pet’s skin flakes, urine, and saliva can be asthma triggers. |
[courtesy of U.S. E.P.A.]
Consider keeping pets outdoors or even finding a new home for your
pets, if necessary.
Keep pets out of the bedroom and other sleeping areas at all times, and
keep the door closed.
Keep pets away from fabric-covered furniture, carpets, and stuffed toys. |
Molds
Molds grow on damp materials. The key to mold control is moisture
control.
If mold is a problem in your home, clean up the mold and get rid
of excess water or moisture.
Lowering the moisture also helps reduce other triggers, such as dust
mites and cockroaches. |
[courtesy of U.S. E.P.A.]
Wash mold off hard surfaces and dry completely. Absorbent materials,
such as ceiling tiles and carpet, with mold may need to be replaced.
Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.
Keep drip pans in your air conditioner, refrigerator, and dehumidifier
clean and dry.
Use exhaust fans or open windows in kitchens and bathrooms when
showering, cooking, or using the dishwasher.
Vent clothes dryers to the outside.
Maintain low indoor humidity, ideally between 30-50% relative humidity.
Humidity levels can be measured by hygrometers which are available at
local hardware stores. |
Pests
Droppings or body parts of pests such as cockroaches or rodents can
be asthma triggers. |
[courtesy of U.S. E.P.A.]
Do not leave food or garbage out.
Store food in airtight containers.
Clean all food crumbs or spilled liquids right away.
Try using poison baits, boric acid (for cockroaches), or traps first
before using pesticidal sprays.
If sprays are used:
Limit the spray to infested area.
Carefully follow instructions on the label.
Make sure there is plenty of fresh air when you spray, and keep the
person with asthma out of the room. |
Also...
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House dust may contain asthma triggers.
Remove dust often with a damp cloth, and vacuum carpet and
fabric-covered furniture to reduce dust build-up. Allergic people should
leave the area being vacuumed. Using vacuums with high efficiency
filters or central vacuums may be helpful.
When your local weather forecast announces an ozone action day, stay
indoors as much as possible. |
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Standing Water from a Hurricane, Floods,
Water Damage,
and Flooding makes mold --- and molds triggers ASTHMA.
For info on how a flood lead to toxic black mold problem
please visit:
Flood
Problem.
For info on how flooding cause permanent structural damage
to the building please visit
Flooding.
For info on water contaminants please visit:
Water
Contaminants.
For detail info on how water damage lead to serious mold
damage please visit:
Water Damage.
For information related to flood warning codes please visit
Flood
Information.
Read about hurricane and other natural disasters by
visiting:
Hurricane.
Controlling Your Home's Indoor Air Quality
Apart from "damage limitation" measures, other practical steps one can
take to control the level of allergens in the home environment include the
following.
• Restrict pets to certain common rooms, but not the bedroom.
• Locate litter trays far away from sources of air supply to the rest of
the home.
• Bathe your cat or dog regularly (Cats are not as averse to bathing as is
commonly believed, particularly if you start bathing them at a young age.)
• Use a specially designed vacuum cleaner. It can be particularly effective at removing allergens such as dust mites.
• Eliminate cockroaches (and as far as is feasible, the common allergens, molds and fungi).
• Improve indoor air quality. Install a central air cleaner and have it switched on for at least four hours a day.
• Keep bedrooms free of feather or down-filled pillows, quilts and other
bedding.
• Reduce indoor humidity to less than fifty percent.
• If you are allergic and must visit a home with pets, make sure you take your medication immediately before the visit.
• Design a "safer" garden. Keep allergens such as grass, tree and weed pollen to a minimum. Birch tree pollen can be a particular problem.
Tomato plants, interestingly, are also known to cause allergic reactions.
Source of Information
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