Are your kids prone to asthma?
No. That’s really good.
But are you sure?
More than six million children are already suffering from asthma in the developed country like the USA and as per the latest survey more than double this figure are prone to asthma in the coming next year.
It’s Alarming! Yes, it is so.
The asthma is a deadliest nightmare for any kid and it just derails the childhood joys and makes every childhood activity difficult. But the nightmare doesn’t end here. The worst part is, it doesn’t have a cure too and any severe asthma attack would demand emergency care, which, if didn’t arrange in time, could lead to painful choking, and probably could become fatal. The prevailing smoke and pollution coupled with persisting deteriorating environmental conditions and climate change are fuelling this asthma prone environment drastically and is giving no sign of giving up.
What is this asthma all about?
Asthma, as we know, is a breathing disorder, and its attacks when the airways become irritated by the allergic elements that trigger it. These allergic elements could be natural or artificial that occurs on their own and badly affects the kids who come across in their surroundings.
The most common form of asthma is Allergic asthma, and in the prevailing environment with so much of smoke and pollution outside and inside home, it’s no surprise that more than 90% of the kids are prone to be the victim of asthma.
You would agree, that the smoke and air pollution, we are forced to live in, whether in a house or outside somewhere are resulting in asthma to our kids.
So, shall we keep watching our kids getting asthma or if, we can do something to help our kids save them from this dragon?
Yes, we can prevent our children from becoming victims of this deadly disease. We have to just create a clean air atmosphere for our children to live in. Though directly we don’t have much control or say in controlling the external environment, where we live, but we can definitely do a lot to control the environment and the air quality in our home, school or sports complex, where our kids spend most of their time. And to keep our surroundings pure, neat, and clean it doesn’t demand moon. We have to avoid things that trigger asthma such as pet dander, smoke, air pollution, etc.
Now, what shall we do?
We have to just install a good Air Purifier at our home and office, and at the same time has to encourage the school to have Air Purifiers in the classrooms, libraries, and laboratories.
So, what are the most common asthma triggers present in all homes?
Asthma triggers commonly prevail in all homes, as all homes in one way or another are the brooding grounds for these asthma triggers. Let’s have a quick look at a few of the important triggers present in every home.
1) Dust and dust mites-There are microscopic creatures that live on dust and are present in all those places where the dust accumulates and sustains as in bedding, carpets, upholstered furniture, stuffed toys and all other fabrics which are not regularly vacuumed or washed. These creatures are known as dust mites and are main asthma triggers commonly causing asthma.
2) Second-hand smoke –The passive smoke of cigarettes releases lots of toxic compounds in the surrounding environment and made the matter worse for the kids. This passive smoke triggers asthma attacks to a great extent. As smoking is common in many homes, therefore, it needs to be taken seriously and checked properly to avoid its harmful effects on kids.
3) Pet dander – The exposure to pet dander is the most dangerous trigger for asthma among children as they are fond of pets and don’t mind getting cozy with them. While getting cozy they get in contact with these pet dander that triggers asthma. The pets with fur or feathers shed this dander now and then which are the tiny bits of their skin, fur, and feather. Such Dander frequently triggers asthma in children and there’s no way to keep a check on them without installing an air purifier at home.
4) Molds – Molds are a fungus that grows on their own in damp areas inside homes. These molds keep spreading microscopic spores in surroundings, which triggers asthma in people and as kids are more vulnerable to these microscopic spores, they easily catch the respiratory disorders leading to asthma.
5) Pest droppings – The droppings of the pest as mice, rats or cockroaches’ triggers asthma to a great extent and these pests shall be therefore eliminated from the homes, but as it is not easy to get rid of them, therefore, it is advisable to go for air purifiers to overcome their effects on kids.
6) Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – Paints, plastics and other cleaning materials give off chemicals which are known as VOCs. Exposure to these VOCs in early childhood leads to asthma, and in the kids already suffering from asthma, it made the matter worse. Formaldehydes are the common VOCs released from the paints, polish, and glues, which are used in furniture and furnishings that are a must in all homes without escape. Therefore, there is no other way to get rid of their effects, by any other means than by installing air purifiers.
7) Outdoor allergens – Pollens are the main trigger to asthma among kids, and as they cannot be controlled in any way, they are therefore to be tackled by some external means as installing air purifiers. These pollens are generally not harmful to us, but the body starts perceiving them as harmful, and they become allergic to the body. The smoke, fumes, and other outdoor pollutants are also one of these outdoor allergens and trigger asthma to a great extent.
How to choose the best Air purifier?
There are air purifiers that use ozone to counter these harmful contaminants. These ozone molecules break down the allergens and harmful contaminants to neutralize them, thus prevent them from triggering asthma. But the ozone itself is a serious irritant in itself and is highly unhealthy in high concentrations. Such air purifiers should not be installed.
Therefore, it’s necessary to select your air purifier on merits rather than the economy to avail the benefits for your kids and save them from asthma or any other breathing ailment. As kids are vulnerable to harmful environments and catalysts, it’s dire important to be extra cautious while making a choice and procuring air purifier.
Conclusion – Thus, in the backdrop of above it is clear that the only way to protect your kids from breathing disorders and to decrease your visits to doctors and hospitals is to install an air purifier that doesn’t generate ozone.
‘Breathfresh Solutions’, a Delhi based organization is promoting a healthier lifestyle by creating clean indoor air pollution naturally and can be reached at https://breathefresh.in/
They are manoeuvring hard to create a world where all children can grow to their full youth and can stay healthy and strong without suffering from any of the breathing disorder or any other ailment.
