Hot off the presses
2022 State of the Air Report
The American Lung Association has released their "State of the Air" report for 2022. Search your state and ZIP code to see how your city measures up against others for High Ozone Days, Particle Pollution, and Groups at Risk. You can also view "Report Cards" on the cleanest cites or the most polluted cities in the country.
2022 Asthma and Allergy Report
Allergy Capitals has released their 2022 Asthma and Allergy Report. In this edition, you can find information on how to improve your quality of life if you suffer from seasonal allergies, how COVID-19 impacted those with allergies, the annual state allergy ranking, and more.
2022 State of Tobacco Control
The American Lung Association has released their "State of Tobacco Control" to provide statistics on how tobacco use and secondhand smoke impact health, the ways in which tobacco prevention methods have been implemented and to what degree they've been proven effective, and how your state measures up against others for various tobacco-related variables.
In the NEWS
How Wildfires Impact Our Health, As Well As The Environment
Dr. Meredith McCormack explains that wildfires create intense air pollution made up of particulate matter, air toxins, carbon monoxide, and other harmful substances. People at risk of experiencing the most harmful effects of the wildfire pollution include those with preexisting pulmonary and cardiovascular illnesses, and pregnant people. Dr. McCormack urges summer travelers to "listen to public health authorities" to avoid areas with the greatest risk, protect yourself, and come up with a plan in the event of a wildfire.
Saharan dust cloud over the Atlantic may reach Gulf Coast by weekend
Dr. Meredith McCormack weighs in on how a dust cloud from Africa's Sahara Desert may impact the health of those who are living in its path. If the cloud of dust reaches land, the fine particles that it brings with it could irritate people's eyes, noses, and throats, or even increase the chances of asthma attacks or COPD flare-ups. Some weather monitoring services predict that the dust cloud will reach the Gulf Coast, others are showing that the cloud will bypass most of the United States altogether.
AccuWeather predicted path of Saharan dust cloud
Growing evidence links air pollution exposure and covid-19 risks
Air pollution exposure may now be added to the list of covid-19 risk factors alongside older age, obesity, and immunocompromised status. Dr. Meredith McCormack notes that exposure to air pollution may lead to a more severe viral response by increasing oxidative stress, impairing your immune response, or possibly allowing the virus to travel farther into the body's cells.
Better ventilation in schools could reduce covid risks and boost learning. Why aren’t we doing it?
“When we can improve indoor air quality in schools, we’re improving it for a community of children.” Dr. Meredith McCormack comments on how properly filtering air in schools can improve children's health and academic success. The air quality in schools, where children spend a large portion of their day, can have either a positive or negative influence on their lung development and risk for asthma attacks.
Menu for Easier Breathing
Dr. Hansel is embarking on a new research study to learn if there is a link between diet and pulmonary disease symptoms, like COPD. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may be the key to alleviating disease flare-ups, but these foods may be harder to come by for those living in Baltimore City, where the new study is taking place.
The smog covering Beijing, China, may prove to be detrimental to Olympians
Dr. Meredith McCormack weighs in on how the smog and pollution covering Beijing, China, may impact the performance and lung health of athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Those who will perform at high altitudes or who have pre-existing conditions, like asthma, may be especially at risk.
Image by Thomas Peter/Reuters
How to Combat Urban Heat Islands
Doctors Meredith McCormack and Darryn Waugh are leading a pilot project in Baltimore to calculate dangerously hot areas across the city in the summer months. They hope this heat map will lead to environmental innovations that will help alleviate the symptoms of pulmonary disorders that are often triggered by the heat and humidity.
LUNG HEALTH & COVID-19
COVID-19 Symptoms To Watch Out For
Everything You Need to Know To Prep For Your Vaccine Appointment
Everything You Need to Know To Prep For Your Vaccine Appointment
COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild to severe. The most common include fever, a dry cough or shortness of breath, which can seem liked seasonal allergies. Extreme symptoms can include lung damage, the development of rashes and swelling or even develop psychosis and suicidal thoughts.
Everything You Need to Know To Prep For Your Vaccine Appointment
Everything You Need to Know To Prep For Your Vaccine Appointment
Everything You Need to Know To Prep For Your Vaccine Appointment
Get all the information from medical experts on the COVID-19 vaccine to help you decide if you are ready or not to get the vaccine. If you have decided you want the vaccine but don't know how to secure one, click here.
Will Masks Become the "New Normal"?
Everything You Need to Know To Prep For Your Vaccine Appointment
Breathing Polluted Air May Put You At Greater Risk of Contracting the Coronavirus
Breathing Polluted Air May Put You At Greater Risk of Contracting the Coronavirus
Is It Safe To Fly In Fall 2020? Experts Explain Why You Might Want To Rethink Your Plans
Breathing Polluted Air May Put You At Greater Risk of Contracting the Coronavirus
Dr. Meredith McCormack explains how increased pollution increases susceptibility to infection in the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times
How to Dispose of Face Masks and Gloves—Properly
Is It Safe To Fly In Fall 2020? Experts Explain Why You Might Want To Rethink Your Plans
Is It Safe To Fly In Fall 2020? Experts Explain Why You Might Want To Rethink Your Plans
Is It Safe To Fly In Fall 2020? Experts Explain Why You Might Want To Rethink Your Plans
Is It Safe To Fly In Fall 2020? Experts Explain Why You Might Want To Rethink Your Plans
Is It Safe To Fly In Fall 2020? Experts Explain Why You Might Want To Rethink Your Plans
Kirsten Koehler, Ph.D provides tips on how to fly safely during the COVID-19 pandemic in an Elite Daily article.
Physician leads program to teach young people about COVID-19
Pulse oximeters, used to fight COVID-19, may be inaccurate on people of color
Pulse oximeters, used to fight COVID-19, may be inaccurate on people of color
Pulse oximeters, used to fight COVID-19, may be inaccurate on people of color
Pulse oximeters, used to fight COVID-19, may be inaccurate on people of color
Pulse oximeters, used to fight COVID-19, may be inaccurate on people of color
Pulse oximeters have been very popular to use for COVID-19 patients because they're a painless way to measure blood oxygen levels, however, Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos explains how they may give inaccurate readings to people of color due to darker skin pigment absorbing more light than lighter skin pigment.
Smoking, Vaping, and COVID-19
Pulse oximeters, used to fight COVID-19, may be inaccurate on people of color
These Athletes Had the Coronavirus. Will They Ever Be the Same?
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos advises individuals to try to quit smoking and/or vaping now as it could make their lungs more susceptible to COVID-19, with more severe symptoms. Dr. Galiatsatos also reported in an INSIDER interview, that individuals who smoke marijuana regularly are more likely to experience severe COVID-19 symptoms due to lung cell death caused by inhaled marijuana smoke.
These Athletes Had the Coronavirus. Will They Ever Be the Same?
Bioethicists worry the rich and powerful will get special access to experimental Covid treatments
These Athletes Had the Coronavirus. Will They Ever Be the Same?
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos discusses the possible long-term consequences for athletes who contract COVID-19 in this New York Times article
Bioethicists worry the rich and powerful will get special access to experimental Covid treatments
Bioethicists worry the rich and powerful will get special access to experimental Covid treatments
Bioethicists worry the rich and powerful will get special access to experimental Covid treatments
On Oct. 2 2020, President Trump confirmed he had COVID-19. While in the hospital President Trump received a cocktail of drugs, including some experimental. Bioethicists worry about the consequences of allowing the powerful and wealthy to recieve experimental treatment when thousands are still dying from the infection.
Diet
Dr. Emily Brigham, who is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHU SOM), explained to the New York Times that is is possible that different fats can affect childhood asthma symptoms differently. For example, in her study, Dr. Brigham found that while omega-3 fatty acids in foods may reduce symptoms of childhood asthma, omega-6 fats may actually aggravate them
Tobacco
Schools, hospital see rise in teens vaping
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos talks with 2 ABC WMAR Baltimore and USA Today about the misinformation and increased use of vaping in schools
Johns Hopkins professor: Vital step to stop youth-vaping epidemic
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos join CNBC’s “Closing Bell” to discuss the Trump administration’s crackdown on flavored e-cigarette products.
As Vaping Devices Have Evolved, So Have Potential Hazards, Researchers Say
Dr. Ana Rule, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health share her research into the health effects of vaping NPR. The CDC has identified vitamin E acetate as a chemical of concern among people with e-cigarette or vaping-related acute lung injuries, but Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos believes there are several more toxins in vaping products, espically those containg THC, that are yet to be identified that are disrupting not only a person's lung cell but also their immune cells.
Techniques To Help You Stop Smoking
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos explains how he uses Nicotine Replacement Therapy to help his patients quit smoking and the potential benefit of using apps to help individuals quit smoking.
“Social Smoking” Isn’t Better Than Smoking-Smoking
Even for people who rarely smoke rarely, studies say that incremental lung and heart damage can escalate over time. Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos explains that even people who only smoke 1 or 2 cigarettes at social occasions aren't immune to the health dangers of smoking, particularly when it comes to lung and cardiovascular health.
Asthma
Shared Decision Making for Better Asthma Control
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs: American Lung Association
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs: American Lung Association
In a Pulmonary Advisor article, Dr. Meredith McCormack explains why shared decision-making between providers and patients can improve disease control, lung function, treatment adherence, and quality of life
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs: American Lung Association
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs: American Lung Association
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs: American Lung Association
Dr. Meredith McCormack shares with Smart Cities Drive that living next to major highways can increase an individual's chance for developing asthma.
Wildfire Smoke Can Send Kids With Asthma to the ER
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs: American Lung Association
Higher BPA levels linked to more asthma symptoms in children
Dr. Meredith McCormack provides insight in a HealthDay article on how wildfire pollution can affect the health of children's respiratory systems even into adulthood.
Higher BPA levels linked to more asthma symptoms in children
The disturbing airborne allergen in schools that may be exacerbating your kid’s asthma
Higher BPA levels linked to more asthma symptoms in children
A Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health study found a relationship between levels of the synthetic chemical BPA (Bisphenol A) in urine and asthma symptoms in children from low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore
The disturbing airborne allergen in schools that may be exacerbating your kid’s asthma
The disturbing airborne allergen in schools that may be exacerbating your kid’s asthma
The disturbing airborne allergen in schools that may be exacerbating your kid’s asthma
In a Washington Post article, Dr. Elizabeth Matsui and Dr. Meredith McCormack comment on how allergens found at school can be affecting children with asthma.
Vitamin D may protect against pollution-associated asthma symptoms in obese children
The disturbing airborne allergen in schools that may be exacerbating your kid’s asthma
The disturbing airborne allergen in schools that may be exacerbating your kid’s asthma
A new study out of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine finds vitamin D may be protective among obese children with asthma living in urban environments with high indoor air pollution.
COPD
As the thermostat goes up, COPD symptoms may worsen
Results from a longitudinal study measuring daily COPD symptoms during the hottest time of the year in Baltimore found that higher indoor temperatures worsen COPD symptoms. In addition, the reserach team noted that individuals living in houses with higher air pollutants also had worst COPD symptoms
Exposure to ozone pollution or wood smoke exacerbates lung disease in former and current smokers
Exposure to wood smoke and other pollutants in the ozone found in most urban and some rural communities can play a role in an individual's health. News Medical goes over two studies led by Johns Hopkins University researchers that describe the impact of pollution on lung disease, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the U.S.
Unusual lung structures may raise risk of pulmonary disease
Dr. Nadia Hansel recently contributed to a new study conducted at the McGill University in determining a relationship between internal lung anatomy and increased risk of developing COPD
Lung Disease May Evade Diagnosis in Half of Heavy Smokers, Ex-Smokers
Dr. Nadia Hansel participated in a UCSF led, multisite study looking to see if the current diagnostic criteria for COPD were accurate or not.
