Health Impacts of Particulate Pollution

Numerous scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to a variety of problems, including:

• Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing, for example;
• Decreased lung function;
• Aggravated asthma;
• Development of chronic bronchitis;
• Irregular heartbeat;
• Nonfatal heart attacks; and
• Premature death in people with heart or lung disease.

While healthy individuals are typically not at a major risk from short-term exposures to smoke, they may still experience adverse health effects when PM levels are particularly high, like they are during fires. Children, seniors and those with heart or lung disease are particularly at risk from high PM levels and should take precautions.

To read “How Smoke From Fires can Affect Your Health”, a brochure from the US EPA, click here.

Common Infectious Lung Diseases

Influenza

Influenza, more commonly called the flu, is a contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. Most healthy people will recover from the flu on their own within one or two weeks. For the very young, the elderly and people with prior medical conditions, however, influenza can lead to serious of even fatal complications, most commonly pneumonia.

Influenza symptoms usually come on suddenly. Generally, a person will have a high fever for about 3 days. Respiratory symptoms, which include a sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, usually last an additional three or four days. A person may also continue to have a dry, hacking cough for up to 10 days after other symptoms are gone. Headaches, fatigue, weakness, muscle aches and loss of appetite are other common symptoms of influenza.

Cold or Flu?
Although they are often mistaken for each other, there are some key differences between the common cold and the flu:

SYMPTOMS	COLD	FLU
Fever	Rare in adults and older children, but can be as high as 102 degrees F in infants and small children	Usually 102 degrees F, but can go up to 104 degree F and usually lasts 3-4 days
Headache	Rare	Sudden onset and can be severe
Muscle aches	Mild	Usual, and often severe
Tiredness and, weakness	Mild	Can last 2 or more weeks
Extreme exhaustion	Never	Sudden onset and can be severe
Runny nose	Often	Sometimes
Sneezing	Often	Sometimes
Sore throat	Often	Sometimes
Cough	Mild, hacking cough	Usual and can become severe
Complications	Sinus congestion; middle ear infection; asthma flare-up	Bronchitis; pneumonia; can be life-threatening
Prevention	Wash your hands often; avoid close contact with anyone with a cold	Annual vaccination; antiviral medicines - see your doctor

Adapted from “Is It a Cold or the Flu?” by National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and National Institutes of Health; September 2005.

Prevention:
The best way to prevent the flu is to receive a flu vaccine every year. You can also prevent the spread of the flu by practicing good personally cleanliness. For example, wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose, and refrain from sharing drinks or utensils with others. Also, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze to prevent spreading the disease to others if you are already infected.

Treatment:
For a common case of the flu, the best treatment is to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Antiviral drugs can treat particular strains of influenza. These are most effective when taken within two days of then symptoms appear. Antiviral drugs may help to reduce the duration of the disease, but they should not be used in place of a vaccination.

Flu Shot Resources:
Kaiser Permanente: Call 1-800-573-5811 or (916) 688-6500 or visit www.kp.org/flu
Mercy Flu Hotline: Call (916) 536-2485
Senior Influenza Clinics: Call (916) 875-7053
Sutter Medical Center: Call 1-800-500-2400
Sacramento County Health Department: (916) 875-7453

Want to know more about influenza vaccines? Click here for more information.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs, but can attack other parts of the body, as well.  TB bacteria can be transmitted from one person to another through the air.  Those most at risk for contracting the disease are people who share confined air space with an infected person. Contact the County Health Department or see your doctor for additional information.

Symptoms can include: A cough lasting more than two weeks, weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, and/or fever.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis, widely known as “whooping cough” is a contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory system. It’s called “whooping cough” because when infected you gasp for air between bouts of uncontrollable coughing. Whooping cough is treated with antibiotic medications. Ask your doctor about a preventative vaccine.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by various microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. The viral and bacterial agents that cause pneumonia are contagious. Some types of viral and bacterial pneumonia can be prevented by a vaccination.

Symptoms can include: fever, chills, coughing, labored or rapid breathing, chest or abdominal pain.

Lung Health Resources

Breathe California: 1-877-BREATHE
Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails: (916) 444-5900
Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District: www.sparetheair.com
Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America: (202) 466-7643 www.aafa.org
Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc.: 1-800-878-4403 www.aanma.org
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: (414) 272-6071 www.aaai.org
American College of Allergy and Immunology: 1-800-942-7777 www.acaai.org
American Lung Association: 1-800- LUNGUSA
National Heart Lung & Blood Institute: www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Sacramento County Health Department: (916) 875-7453

 

Lung Disease Processes

Asthma

Asthma is a long term disease of the airways to allergens and irritants (triggers), which cause the air passages in the lungs to become inflamed and narrow or blocked by bronchospasm, and mucus production. If left uncontrolled, there can be damage with airway remodeling.

For more information on asthma, including general information, symptoms and much more, visit our asthma page by clicking here. You can also find information on "Your Asthma Book" and Self Care Card," teens and asthma and our "Little Lungs Kit."

Chronic Bronchitis

Chronic Bronchitis is diagnosed when you cough up mucus and experience shortness of breath for three months or more each year for at least two years. These symptoms occur when the lining of the bronchioles (airways) become inflamed and produces too much mucus. The airways narrow and the cilia (hair that lines the airways) are damaged, making them unable to remove the excess mucus.

Emphysema

Emphysema is a disease in which the walls of the alveoli (air sacs) do not function or fracture (break), making it difficult for the lungs to absorb enough oxygen or expel enough carbon dioxide. The walls of the alveoli lose their elasticity and become enlarged. As they enlarge, the diaphragm, (muscle below the lungs) flattens, making it harder for the lungs to move air in and out. The airways also become less elastic and narrow or collapse when exhaling; therefore carbon dioxide becomes trapped.

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease in which the lungs are damaged, making it hard to breathe. In COPD, the airways—the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs—are partly obstructed, making it difficult to get air in and out and cells in the airways make more mucus (sputum) than usual, which clogs the airways. COPD refers to a group of diseases that will share one common feature difficulty exhaling air from the lungs.

In the United States, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes: Emphysema & Chronic Bronchitis

Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. Most people with COPD have a combination of bronchitis and emphysema and are smokers or former smokers. Breathing in other kinds of lung irritants, like pollution, dust, or chemicals, over a long period of time may also cause or contribute to COPD. COPD develops slowly, and it may be many years before you notice symptoms like feeling short of breath. Most of the time, COPD is diagnosed in middle-aged or older people.

Lung Health Resources

Breathe California: 1-877-BREATHE
Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails: (916) 444-5900
Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District: www.sparetheair.com
Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America: (202) 466-7643 www.aafa.org
Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc.: 1-800-878-4403 www.aanma.org
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: (414) 272-6071 www.aaai.org
American College of Allergy and Immunology: 1-800-942-7777 www.acaai.org
American Lung Association: 1-800- LUNGUSA
National Heart Lung & Blood Institute: www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Other Lung Threats

Naturally Occurring Asbestos

Naturally Occurring Asbestos, also known as NOA, can be found in 44 of California’s 58 counties in rock formations called serpentine. Microscopic fibers are released from either natural erosion or other disturbance.  The State of California recognizes NOA as a known human carcinogen.  These small fibers can lodge deep in the lungs, and after a long latency period, can cause various lung diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. Risk levels are proportional with the amount of exposures and the length of time since the first exposure.

Click on one of the following useful links for more detailed information on the specific health effects of asbestos, the latest studies and ways to protect yourself:

Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District- has general NOA information and specific information on asbestos in Folsom:
www.airquality.org

California Air Resources Board- has general information on NOA, protections and maps:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/asbestos/asbestos.htm

Federal Environmental Protection Agency- has general information on NOA:
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/

Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry- explains the health impacts of NOA, precautions and protections:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/phs61.html

California Department of Conservation provides maps of asbestos occurrences and specific information on asbestos containing rocks:
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/minerals/hazardous_minerals/asbestos/index.htm