City life: the excitement, the action, the opportunities. But if you’re one of the millions of Americans with asthma or allergies, living in an urban area can also mean respiratory problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the number of asthma cases has more than doubled since 1980, with rates highest in the inner cities, especially among African Americans and children.

Air pollution

If you have asthma and allergies, a major hazard of urban living is smog — the murky haze of pollutants that hovers over many cities, especially during the summer months. Smog is particularly harmful to people with heart and lung conditions, pregnant women, young children, and the elderly. Its effects include the following:

• Irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs
• Shortness of breath and wheezing
• Lower resistance to infections

The American Lung Association suggests these tips for reducing your exposure to smog and other urban air pollution:

• If you have severe breathing problems, stay indoors as much as possible during the summer, preferably in a cool, well-ventilated place.
• Exercise wisely. Vigorous outdoor activity increases the amount of outside air you take into your lungs. Exercise early in the morning, when smog levels are at their lowest. If possible, enjoy your outdoor workout in a park or an open area far from heavy traffic, where the air is most polluted. On smog alert days, consider an indoor workout at the local gym.
• Avoid areas of heavy traffic, especially if you’re traveling on foot. Fast-moving cars can stir up road pollutants like dirt, car exhaust particles, tire dust, and plant fragments. Commute at off-peak times, if possible. If you’re traveling by car during rush hour, keep your windows rolled up and the air conditioner running.

Breathing indoors

If the air outside is dirty, staying indoors can help — sometimes. Whether you spend your time in a modern, energy-efficient building or an older structure, you can encounter indoor allergens and irritants. The tighter construction of new buildings, both residential and commercial, frequently means reduced ventilation. Residents of older buildings are more likely to have problems with allergy-provoking molds and cockroaches. Any one of these factors can make it hard to breathe in the city, especially if you have asthma or allergies.

In fact, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases calls exposure to cockroach allergen a major cause of the increase in asthma cases worldwide. Exposure to cockroaches can also increase the severity of asthma symptoms. These household pests thrive in urban areas, particularly those with warmer climates. If your home has cockroaches:

• Fix leaky faucets or pipes that attract them.
• Keep all food and garbage in closed containers.
• Plug any crevices around your house.
• Consider bait stations and environmentally safe pesticides to reduce infestation.

Urban living involves its own set of health considerations and concerns. But you don’t have to let asthma and allergies dictate where you choose to make your home. With planning and management, city life doesn’t have to come at the cost of good health.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at 10:40 pm and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.