Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos comments on how building practices and gas appliances put us at risk of being exposed to pollution within our homes, and how this impacts our lung health. He also discusses how Black citizens of Baltimore are much more likely to be exposed to indoor pollution than white citizens.

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Dr. Meredith McCormack talks with 97.9 Baltimore's Justin, Scott & Spiegel about the health impacts of cigarettes, ZYN, and vaping.

Listen here.

Johns Hopkins experts weigh in on pressing questions about health and safety indoors - from tap water contaminants to fungus to mites, there are certain things in your house that may be detrimental to your health. 

Read here to learn more and find tips on controlling these common problems.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos joins the 'On The Record' podcast to discuss some lesser-known causes of air pollution that come from inside your home. 

Listen here.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos calls to action Maryland policymakers to advocate for air quality standards for heating, cooling, ventilation, and water heater systems. NOx pollution can come from within our homes as well as from outside them, and the internal sources above are some of those NOx sources.

Dr. Michelle Eakin and her colleagues from the ATS Tobacco Action Committee recently raised awareness that tobacco companies are using predatory marketing tactics to target LGBTQ+ populations that will lead to higher rates of tobacco use and worse health outcomes.

 A recent CDC report found that "11% of 18- to 24-year-olds define themselves as current e-cigarette users."  Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos stresses the importance of more research on the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes 

 When retirees are looking for their next home, they often don't consider air quality, which is a huge factor for good health, especially among the elderly. Dr. Meredith McCormack notes that poor air quality harms more than just your lungs; it can also put you at risk for heart attacks and strokes, and proves more harmful to those with diabetes.

 Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos emphasizes the importance of lung cancer screenings in the early detection of lung cancer.

Among high school athletes, heat stroke is the third leading cause of death. This summer, along with being one of the hottest on record, had the added threat of poor air quality. Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos warns that the particulate matter from the wildfire smoke can be so small that it can enter the bloodstream and impact more systems than just your lungs.

Medicine for the Greater Good (MGG) is a program that strives to connect health care professionals with the Baltimore community. During a community outreach event for medical students, MGG interns were able to diagnose a Baltimore resident, ensure that he received treatment, and escorted him home. 

 When Dr.  Galiatsatos entered a Baltimore City classroom to teach about health, he hoped to instill a love of science in the children and also inspired a teacher to pursue her dream of attending medical school. Read more here.

 Ayesha Rascoe from NPR speaks to Dr. Ashraf Fawzy about a study that shows how inaccurate measurements by pulse oximeters lead to delays in COVID treatment for people of color. 

Read or listen to the interview here.

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.

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.

Image: AccuWeather predicted path of Saharan dust cloud

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.

“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.

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.

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

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. 

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos developed a COVID-19 curriculum for K-12 students after getting calls from Baltimore teachers who were struggling to help students understand everything that’s going on with the coronavirus. Dr. Galiatsatos was recently featured in WZY, WUSA, WMAR talking about the program. 

CBS News follows Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos as he teams up with members of the Baltimore community to address racial and ethical health disparities related to COVID-19 in the community. 

Kirsten Koehler, Ph.D is currently working on a project to improve our understanding of the benefits of cool roofs that could be deployed in cities globally to mitigate the impacts of climate change and improve health equity 

In an ABC News Report Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos addresses his concern over Californian wildfires and how the smoke produced can increase the severity of COVID-19. 

 Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos talks with 2 ABC WMAR Baltimore and USA Today about the misinformation and increased use of vaping in schools 

Dr. Panagis Galiasatos talks about ways to tackle e-cigraette addictions and why regulations need to be strengthened on them.  

 Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos join CNBC’s “Closing Bell” to discuss the Trump administration’s crackdown on flavored e-cigarette products. 

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.  

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.

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. 

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 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. 

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

Dr. Nadia Hansel participated in a UCSF led, multisite study looking to see if the current diagnostic criteria for COPD were accurate or not.