#41 - Climate change’s impact on asthma and allergies

Air quality and climate change’s impact on asthma and allergies

 

The quality of our environment has a direct impact on our health. As temperatures rise, pollen seasons grow longer and pollution worsens due to warmer air, which helps to form ground-level ozone, sometimes called smog.

 

Kenneth Mendez, President & CEO, Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), joins us to discuss air quality and climate change’s impact on asthma and allergies. We discuss all the factors that can impact air quality and how this impacts our health, focusing mainly on asthma and seasonal allergies. Kenneth also shares more information about the Allergy Capital Report put out annually by AAFA.

What we cover in this episode:

• Impact of climate change and air pollution for seasonal allergies and asthma.
• What are seasonal allergies?
• Air quality:
  • Why people with environmental allergies and asthma should pay attention to it
  • Air quality index
  • Indoor air quality should not be ignored.
• Climate change:
  • Warmer temperature’s impact pollen
  • Earlier pollen season, frost comes later
• Covid-19 and asthma:
  • The outcomes are not worse
  • How to differentiate if it is Covid-19 or seasonal allergies (Hay Fever does not mean fever is a symptom)
• Why talking to your doctor and getting your asthma under control is so important for your health
• What mask-wearing can signal about your asthma
• Signs of uncontrolled asthma
• Allergy Capitals Report and Asthma Capitals Report made by AAFA
  • What are they measuring and why is this important?
  • Cities/urban environments are a good place to look at what the impacts of climate change will look like in the future for individuals with asthma and allergies
• How to minimize your allergy symptoms

Additional resources:

• AAFA Online community: aafa.org/join
• AAFA’s 2021 Allergy Capitals™ report: allergycapitals.com
• Healthy Home
• Indoor Air Quality
• Control Indoor Allergens
• SYMPTOMS CHART: IS IT COVID-19, THE FLU, A COLD, ALLERGIES OR ASTHMA?

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• Facebook: @AAFANational
• Instagram: @aafanational
• Twitter: @AAFANational