A Short Case Study:
After years of coping with her severe asthma, Ms. B considers herself quite controlled. It’s a sultry summer day, and she is headed out to do some grocery shopping. By the time she has exited her home, locked her door and walked to her car, she is beginning to feel winded.
When she gets out of her car at the grocery store, her chest is tight. She begins to wheeze as she crosses the parking lot. A fairly severe asthma attack ensues. She always has a trusty, emergency inhaler in her purse, so she endures her attack, and she returns home safely. She could have needed an emergency room visit. She could have crashed her car as she tried to cope with the attack. She might have forgotten that inhaler.
Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if she had stayed indoors and shopped on a day when she knew pollutants were not so high? Like Ms. B, many lung patients could benefit from a quick warning system about the quality of the air. It would be nice if they had an air pollution alert before they left their safe home environment.
New Technology To The Rescue
Well, there’s an “app” for that! The American Lung Association has created just such a tool for patients, their care givers and their loving families – and it’s free!
“The American Lung Association has created a new State of the Air® smartphone application, a life-saving resource for people living with lung disease like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), people with heart disease or diabetes, as well as older adults and children.”
Here’s how it works:
1. Download the app at the special address listed on this site, to your iPhone or Android Phone.
2. Enter your zip code or use your geo-locator functionality on the phone.
3. You will receive the air quality, ozone and particle pollution reports for the date, in your locale. This could save you valuable discomfort; it could even be life-saving information.
4. Likewise, if the air quality is “code orange,” or worse, the app will list advice about the air pollution so that people like Ms. B in our scenario will reschedule their outdoor activities.
You can even set up this app to send you alerts. It will contact you about high risk days,even if you do not remember to check it. The Florida Lung Doctors say, “don’t leave home without it,” if you have asthma, COPD or other respiratory conditions.
Fun Facts About Your Lungs: Also “Free,” From The Lung Doctors
1. The lungs are the largest organ in the body. Some experts say the skin is the largest organ, but we are speaking of internal organs.
2. The Lungs are internal, but they are always exposed to the external elements, and pollution.
3. When you are relaxing, you can breathe in 12 litres of air a minute. Exercise can increase this to 125 litres per minute.
Did you know? Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Apparently, lungs thrive on activity! You can find out more fun facts about your lungs at the European Lung Foundation, by clicking here.
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