Nitrogen dioxide and Indoor air quality

greenmd — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:13:00 GMT

The EPA has the following to say about effects of Nitrogen dioxide and indoor air quality on respiratory health.

Credits can be earned in LEED for homes by reducing the nitrogen dioxide inside the home under Indoor Environmental Quality and perhaps synergies with Energy and Atmosphere through improvements in ventilation.

http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=40676&ct=7264641&notoc=1

"Kerosene or gas space heaters and gas stoves produce substantial amounts of nitrogen dioxide, and if unvented, can lead to higher levels indoors than outdoors"

"What are the health effects of nitrogen dioxide air pollution?
Nitrogen dioxide causes a range of harmful effects on the lungs:

Increased inflammation of the airways;
Worsened cough and wheezing;
Reduced lung function;
Increased asthma attacks;
Greater likelihood of emergency department and hospital admissions; and
Increased susceptibility to respiratory infection, such as influenza"

What is the evidence of short-term health effects, unregulated by the current annual standard?
EPA found evidence of such harm and summarized the findings in the integrated Science Assessment, following extensive review by the CleanAir Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). That assessment concludes:

“The strongest evidence for an association between NO₂exposure and adverse human health effects comes from epidemiological studies of respiratory symptoms and ED [emergency department] visits and hospital admissions. These new findings were based on numerous studies, including panel and field studies, multipollutant studies that control for the effects of other pollutants, and studies conducted in areas where the whole distribution of ambient 24-hour average NO₂concentrations was below the current NAAQS level of 0.053 ppm (53 ppb)(annual average). The effect estimates from the U.S. and Canadian studies generally indicate a 2-20% increase in risks for ED visits and hospital admissions. Risks associated with respiratory symptoms were generally higher.”

Clinical studies provide clear evidence of harm to people with asthma who breathed NO₂ for 30 minutes to 1-hour while they were exercising. NO₂enhances the responsiveness of the airways to allergens. This airway hyperresponsiveness—a narrowing of the airways in response to various stimuli —is a hallmark of asthma. Clinical studies typically include only mildly asthmatic adults. In setting standards, safety factors must be incorporated to account for potential effects on infants, children,and those with moderate or severe asthma or other respiratory disease.
- A meta-analysis using individual level data from 19 clinical studies reported that 66 percent of subjects experience an increase in airway responsiveness following 1-hour exposures to 100 ppb NO₂, the lowest level studied.
Epidemiological studies provide convincing evidence that short-term NO₂ concentrations affect respiratory symptoms and increase the likelihood of emergency and hospital admissions for respiratory diseases at levels below the current standard.
- Epidemiological studies found effects at far lower concentrations than the clinical studies—with mean 24-hour concentrations in the range of 3 to 50 ppb for emergency department and hospital admission studies.
- For respiratory symptoms, studies found positive associations where median 24-hour average concentrations ranged from 18-26 ppb, and where the mean NO₂ level was 32 ppb for a 4-hour average.
- A study in southern California provided evidence of an association between NO₂ and asthma symptoms with 98th percentile 1-hour daily maximum NO₂ concentrations of 50 ppb, and mean concentrations of 24 ppb
The California children’s health study found that long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide was associated with stunted lung function growth in children.

Who is at greatest risk?
Children, older adults, and people with asthma or other lung disease and people with cardiovascular disease are at greatest risk. In addition, people who work, live or attend school along major highways also face increased risk.These include millions of people. For example, there are an estimated 22.9 million people, including 6.7 million children, with asthma in the U.S

What’s at stake?
Millions of Americans are unprotected by the current standards.Children and adults with asthma should be free to work outdoors or participate in outdoor recreation without fear that air pollution concentrations will trigger asthma attacks that send them to the hospital. Children who live near busy highways should not risk their future ability to breathe because the pollution kept their lungs from fully developing.

http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=40676&ct=7264641&notoc=1

Welcome

greenmd — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:44:39 GMT

Welcome to my blog. GreenMD is interested in suggestions on medically healthy ideas for LEED certified buildings and any other idea for supporting the wisdom of human health and a healthy planet.

BLOG.GREENMD.ORG

Nitrogen dioxide and Indoor air quality

Welcome