It’s been a year since his last asthma attack, but 15-year-old
Stanley Ngo has to be careful. His family has ripped out the
carpeting in their San Jose home and installed hardwood floors,
placed a HEPA filter in his bedroom and installed electrostatic
filters on the furnaces.
It’s been a year since his last asthma attack, but 15-year-old Stanley Ngo has to be careful. His family has ripped out the carpeting in their San Jose home and installed hardwood floors, placed a HEPA filter in his bedroom and installed electrostatic filters on the furnaces. They’ve also encased his mattress and pillow in plastic to drive down the number of dust mites in his room.
The 15-year-old can’t play sports or do many of the other activities he’d like to try. In his words, “it sucks,” but the very air he breathes could send him rushing for a hospital.
Asthma, highlighted today by World Asthma Day, is a disease that affects more than 20 million Americans, nearly half of whom are under the age of 18, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Among the triggers that can set off an attack are dust, food allergies, pet dander, temperature and smog.
The last item on that list, smog, not only looks unsightly, it costs Americans millions of dollars a year in medical expenses, according to the American Lung Association. California is leading the pack when it comes to poor air quality, according to the organization’s latest air-quality report card.
The state’s counties made up 14 of the 25 most ozone-polluted counties in the nation, and despite their bucolic appeal, rural areas like the South Valley are among the state’s chief afflicted areas. San Benito County scored a disappointing “D” grade on the report, and Santa Clara fell even lower, scoring an “F” in the study measuring particulate levels and ozone, titled “State of the Air: 2005.”
It could mean bad news for not only asthma sufferers, but diabetics, cardiac patients and the elderly, who are particularly sensitive to the form of air pollution known as particulate matter.
Particulates, or pieces of matter too small for the lungs to process and expel, are produced by diesel engines, construction processes and wood burning. The invisible pieces of matter let off by each of these sources are breathed in by human beings and become stuck in the delicate tissue of the lungs. With sufficient build-up, they can cause infections and, sometimes, toxic reactions that result in cancerous growths, according to Terry Trumbull, chairman of the environmental health commission for the American Lung Association and a professor of environmental studies at San Jose State University.
Agriculture is a contributing factor to particulate pollution because particulates in the ground are disturbed any time the ground is disrupted, such as during plowing, planting or harvesting seasons, Trumbull says.
The soil is not only tilled, but weeds and other water-greedy plants are removed to give crops maximum benefit, increasing the surface area of dry ground exposed to the air. When the wind blows, the soil is disturbed again, sending flurries of particulate matter, sometimes laden with pesticides and fertilizers into the air.
“We’re talking about particles in the millionths of a meter – three-hundred-thousandths of an inch,” said Trumbull. “Our lungs were built back in the caveperson days, so we just weren’t really prepared for the particles that come out of wood smoke and agriculture.”
Just like dust, these factors can trigger asthmatic reactions or stress the respiratory system of emphysema and chronic bronchitis sufferers, but particulate matter is also compounded by ozone gas, which basically burns the interior of the lungs, according to Trumbull.
While agriculture, wood smoke and construction contribute to the poor grades Santa Clara and San Benito Counties received, not all of the pollution in the South Valley was made here.
Exhaust created by the thousands of cars, trucks and other machines operated in the greater San Francisco Bay area blows inland thanks to the area’s strong onshore flow. This air-borne pollution transforms into ozone as part of a heat reaction, so when it hits the warmer air of the inland area, the ozone count explodes, according to Trumbull.
Coupled, particulates and ozone create a recipe for dangerous summer days. As the air quality index gets poorer with the heat, attacks are more likely to be common, according to Susan Reddell, a registered respiratory therapist at St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy.
Asthmatics and those with chronic respiratory issues should check their local air quality index on a regular basis and avoid going outside on days when smog levels are high, said Reddell. Instead, they should stay inside with the windows closed and the air conditioner running.
Other ways to drive down attack frequency include avoiding triggers, eliminating household allergens, making sure a home is rid of cockroaches and creating a comfort space for asthma sufferers in the home, said Reddell.
“(The bedroom is) where you spend more time than anywhere else. That means having as little disturbance in there as possible.”
Reddell recommends covering bed linens to block dust from falling on pillows and blankets, removing carpet and heavy draperies from the area, and keeping stuffed animals, knick knacks and clutter to a minimum.
“When things are going on they can go into this little safe haven,” said Reddell.
Data for the 2005 State of the Air report was collected from ozone monitoring stations placed throughout the United States. Both local counties took a one grade fall in standings this year. In the 2004 report, which analyzed data from 2003, San Benito County scored a “C” ranking, it’s best since the ALA’s survey began in 2000. Santa Clara County had maintained a “D” average in the previous two studies.
