Measures to Minimize Environmental Causes of Asthma - Essay Example

The paper "Measures to Minimize Environmental Causes of Asthma" is a great example of an essay on health sciences and medicine. One measure that the global community can take to minimize environmental causes of asthma is a house is free of fumes. In May 2012, the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children published an organized federal program to protect children from environmental causes of asthma. Two key measures from this program can be adopted to minimize the number of causes of asthma in the global community. Burning wood, gas, and lighting kerosene stoves release fumes within the house. Such burning equipment generates nitrogen dioxide, an odorless gas that irritates the nose, eyes, and throat. In effect, nitrogen dioxide causes asthma attacks (President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks, 2012).

First, households residing in developing countries across the world and using these burning appliances and begin by ensuring that their stoves are ventilated appropriately to the outside. Users of gas stoves can utilize exhaust fans for ventilation while preparing food. Users of wood stoves can make sure their doors are secure to prevent any leaking fumes. Users of unventilated kerosene or gas space radiators can open windows or also utilize exhaust fans. The chimney-corner should always be open before lighting it to enable fumes to dissipate through the chimney. Users of radiators should have their manufacturers clean and inspect it annually to find any likely linkages. Car owners should also avoid leaving their idle vehicles within closed garages to lower the risk of exhaust fumes entering their houses (President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks, 2012).
Second, people can stand at least half a day inside the houses where there is an air-cooling system with an efficient purification system. Spending over 12 hours within such conditions should significantly lower indoor exposure to environmental causes of asthma attacks such as pollen grains, outdoor molds, pet fur, horsehair, and dust. For this measure to be optimally efficient, the house or building should be reasonably and properly airtight. In addition, the house should have a constant central air dispensation system that sifts air constantly and not only when the radiator or cooler is on (Minnesota Department of Health, 2007). The above program recommends mandatory air household heater or air conditioners with constant fan operations as optional. For developing countries, there are affordable and efficient air filters without mandatory household radiators or coolers. Read More