According to a New Report from BreezoMeter, 91% of Asthma Sufferers in U.S. Hotspot Cities Alter Their Daily Routines to Avoid Environmental Triggers
HAIFA, Israel, June 29, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Breezometer, the company that delivers street-level air quality data and informed lifestyle recommendations to consumers in 100+ countries, today shares the results of its 2022 Asthma Awareness Report. The new study reveals the top three cities in the U.S. with the most difficult air quality conditions for asthma, as well as other outdoor and indoor air quality triggers of asthma. BreezoMeter consulted its historical air quality index, as well as direct insights from consumers around their triggers and how they cope with them in partnership with global technology company Airthings, creators of indoor air quality and radon monitors for homeowners, businesses and professionals.
Asthma Hotspots in the U.S. Show High Levels of PM2.5 and Humidity
BreezoMeter’s research seeks to better understand how asthma sufferers think about and react to environmental triggers in the places where they most frequently occur. The research reveals that Indianapolis, IN; Houston, TX; and Nashville, TN have the highest concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) and humidity levels. PM2.5 and humidity are two of the most potent, yet relatively lesser known, triggers of asthma symptoms.
Toxic PM2.5 particles–invisible to the naked eye and small enough to get deep into the lungs–are triggering for asthma sufferers as they cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the airways, similar to the inflammation caused by smoking. PM2.5 particles primarily come from transportation exhaust (e.g., pollution from trucks, buses and trains); the burning of fuels (e.g., wood burning, heating oil and coal) and natural sources (e.g., wildfires). As for humidity, increased moisture in the air can directly irritate the airways. Common allergens that aggravate allergic asthma, like dust mites and mold, also thrive in humid air.
A High Majority of Asthma Sufferers Alter Their Daily Routines to Avoid Environmental Triggers
Ninety-one percent (91%) of asthma sufferers don’t have a quick fix to make their asthma tolerable during the day. Instead, they completely adjust their day-to-day routines and lifestyles. Sixty-three percent (63%) of asthma sufferers say they stay indoors and 58% simply rest. This is closely followed by limiting their exercise routines (48%), reducing workload (40%) and using Air Quality (AQ) apps (30%) to monitor asthma triggers like pollen outdoors before resuming their regular routines.
The likelihood of staying indoors to avoid asthma triggers increases with the age of asthma sufferers. Fifty-five percent (55%) of 18-24 year olds choose to stay indoors as part of adjusting their day for their asthma, followed by 63% of 25-34 year olds, 65% of 35-44 year olds, 79% of 45-54 year olds and 84% of 55-64 year olds.
While 91% of people report having to adjust their daily routine to contain asthma symptoms, only 67% of asthma sufferers actually track their asthma symptoms, which can help sufferers manage their condition in a more proactive manner.
“Asthma sufferers don’t necessarily need to avoid the outdoors completely, as air quality can change drastically within meters or miles of where they’re located. Just because they see high pollen levels, for instance, within their direct location, doesn’t mean that the conditions are the same even a mile away,” said Ran Korber, CEO and Co-founder, BreezoMeter. “When asthma sufferers understand how the quality of the air they breathe can differ so drastically between one place and another, they can better predict environmental triggers and eliminate the need to put their lives on hold for days or months at a time.”
Asthma Sufferers Overlook Indoor Air Quality; Most Say Their Asthma Symptoms Are Triggered More by Outdoor Air
Seventy-two percent (72%) of asthma sufferers report that they associate asthma triggers more frequently with outdoor air than indoor air. There are, however, many activities that do cause harmful air quality such as candle burning, cooking, and using certain types of chemical cleaning products. Outdoor air pollution also commonly migrates indoors through open doors, windows, ventilation shafts, and cracks.
Airthings found that 72% of asthma sufferers named indoor dust as the top indoor environmental factor to trigger asthma, followed by 54% of asthma sufferers naming pollen. Pet dander (39%), strong odors/scents (34%) and cooking or fire smoke (29%) were also named as indoor air factors likely to trigger asthma attacks.
Scientists today speak of the indoor-outdoor air pollution continuum to underline the fact that air quality shouldn’t be thought about solely indoors or…
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