Credit: Amin Mohajeri Take a slow, deep breath. Feel the pleasant airflow entering your lungs, nourishing your blood and fueling your cells. This effortless, automatic rhythm is a priceless gift. With each breath, oxygen flows into the body and carbon dioxide leaves. Yet this delicate exchange can be disrupted over time by long-term exposure to … Continue reading The Quiet Art of Protecting Your Lungs Against COPD
Air Quality
Climate Change Affects Our Health by Changing Air Quality
Credit: iStock Earth is a special planet for having an atmosphere that enables life to thrive. Our atmosphere surrounds our planet, which keeps us warm and contains oxygen for us to breathe. The atmosphere has different layers with different qualities and is where our weather happens. Weather refers to the state of the air and … Continue reading Climate Change Affects Our Health by Changing Air Quality
Why Does Air Pollution Affect More Women than Men?
A year ago, I went to California to participate in a scientific conference. After a couple of days, my mentor and I started to have trouble breathing. As two healthy adults, we wondered why this was happening. I did not know the answer at that time, but I did notice a pattern: Other female colleagues, … Continue reading Why Does Air Pollution Affect More Women than Men?
In Santiago, What’s Smog Got to Do with It?
Smog hangs over the city of Santiago, Chile. Credit: Anne Crecelius Upon arriving in Santiago, Chile, my travel companions from the University of Dayton and I were struck by the beautiful sights of the Andes mountains and the not-so-beautiful sight of a cloud of smog hanging over the city. Like many major metropolitan areas, such … Continue reading In Santiago, What’s Smog Got to Do with It?
Reduce Your Risk of a ‘Lung Sunburn’: Stay Inside on Poor Air Quality Days
June 21 officially marked the first day of summer, bringing in long hot days of fun in the sun. Summer is also the time when air quality alerts start popping up, warning us to avoid breathing in bad air and limit activities outside. These alerts can put a damper on our outdoor plans, but why … Continue reading Reduce Your Risk of a ‘Lung Sunburn’: Stay Inside on Poor Air Quality Days