Lungs | LocalHealthGuide

Are gas stoves bad for your health?

Here’s why the federal government is considering new safety regulations.

December 27, 2022 Coronavirus / Drugs / Influenza/Flu / Lungs

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

Wearing a surgical mask in an indoor public setting reduces the odds of testing positive for COVID-19 by 66%, and wearing an N95/KN95 type of mask lowers the odds of testing positive by 83%.

October 17, 2022 Environment / Environmental Health / Heart and Circulatory System / Lungs / Public Health

Proliferating Wildfires Threaten Health Across the Country

By Matt VasilogambrosStateline As wildfires continue to burn in parts of the United States, state public health officials and experts

June 20, 2022 Environmental Health / Lungs / Prevention

Wood-burning Stoves Raise New Health Concerns

Burning wood releases a host of particles and gases. The most regulated is fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 — particles 2.5 microns or smaller across, tiny enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs and even penetrate the brain.

March 4, 2022 Environmental Health / Lungs

Wood-burning Stoves Raise New Health Concerns

In the United States, 11.5 million homes, or about 30 million people, were estimated to use wood as their primary or secondary heat source. Growing scientific evidence shows that woodsmoke affects human health and contributes to air pollution.

January 30, 2022 Coronavirus / Lungs

What is the best mask for COVID-19?

A mechanical engineer explains the science after 2 years of testing masks in his lab

September 29, 2021 Environmental Health / Lungs

Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay. Here’s How to Clean the Air Inside Your Home.

The standard advice is to stay inside when heavy smoke is in the air. But the smoke can get into your house or apartment. So you might want to consider investing in equipment to clean the air inside your home, especially with climate change likely to continue escalating the scope and intensity of the fires.

August 13, 2021 Environment / Environmental Health / Lungs

DIY air filter fan

This simple D.I.Y. project can make the smoky days a little more bearable and safe.

July 16, 2021 Environmental Health / Lungs

What’s in wildfire smoke? A toxicologist explains the health risks

Smoke from wildfires contains thousands of compounds, including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.

June 17, 2021 Cardiology / Environmental Health / Lungs

WILDFIRE SEASON IS COMING — GET SMOKE READY!

For three of the past four years, wildfire smoke in our region has exposed people to unhealthy levels of particulate air pollution for prolonged periods of time.

June 1, 2021 Environmental Health / Heart and Circulatory System / Lungs

Prepare for the worst: 10 steps to get ready for wildfire smoke

Planning, air cleaners, masks and more . . .

May 25, 2021 Coronavirus / Lungs

COVID-19 mortality linked to signs easily measured at home, study

Abnormal blood-oxygen levels and breathing rates are strong predictors of poor patient outcomes in hospital, study shows.

March 9, 2021 Coronavirus / Lungs

Texans Recovering From COVID-19 Needed Oxygen. Then the Power Went Out.

After COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked, the number of Texans dependent on home oxygen equipment was at “an all-time high” when a winter storm overwhelmed the state’s power grid, leaving many struggling for air.

September 15, 2020 Coronavirus / Lungs

What a smoky bar can teach us about the ‘6-foot rule’

Cigarette smoke comprises particles that are similar in size to the smaller respiratory droplets expelled by humans, the ones that linger longest in the air.

September 13, 2020 Air Pollution / Environment / Environmental Health / Lungs

What’s in wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?

As smoke travels through the air, exposure sun and interactions with other chemicals in the atmosphere can make it more toxic.