Indoor air pollution affects lung disease

Indoor air pollution can worsen symptoms of people suffering from chronic lung disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (also known as COPD) includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, two serious lung diseases frequently caused by smoking and air pollution. Breathing in other irritants, such as polluted outdoor air, can exacerbate COPD, but little is known about the importance of household air pollution. It is believed that poor air quality at home can be as bad as outdoor air pollution for people with lung disease. A number of factors, including outdoor air pollution, can affect indoor air quality. Cigarette smoke is one such major air-polluting culprit. To assess the effect of indoor air quality on people with lung disease, researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland measured air quality in the homes of 148 Scottish adults with severe COPD. They also questioned them about their respiratory symptoms and smoking habits. Thirty-nine percent of the subjects were smokers and 49 percent lived in a household where someone smoked. The results showed that people with lung disease living in homes with poor air quality tended to have worse symptoms. The homes of these patients were found to be having high levels of particulate matter - the fine airborne particles that constitute pollution. Smokers' homes had especially high concentrations. Homes with the highest levels of particulate matter exceeded the maximum levels recommended by the EPA (environmental protection agency) by about four-fold. Overall, the greater the level of particulate matter was, the worse patients' COPD symptoms were. Thus, it is important to maintain cross ventilation and a smoke-free environment at home to prevent worsening of lung disease.