Help Your Children
Breathe Easier
If you have asthma or a child with
asthma, you are not alone. About 17 million Americans have asthma. During an
asthma attack, the airways get narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Symptoms
of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Asthma is the
leading cause of long-term illness in children. Asthma can even cause death.
The air that children breathe can make
a difference. Asthma may be triggered by allergens and irritants that are
common in homes. These may include dust mites, pets, molds, house dust, and
other pests (cockroaches or rodents). One major irritant that can be avoided is
secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can trigger asthma episodes and increase the
severity of attacks.
Asthma can be triggered by the smoke from the burning end of
a cigarette, pipe, cigar and the smoke breathed out by a smoker. Secondhand
smoke is also a risk factor for new cases of asthma in preschool aged children
who have not already shown symptoms of asthma. Many of the health effects of
secondhand smoke, including asthma, are most clearly seen in children because
children are most vulnerable to its effects. Children receiving high doses of
secondhand smoke, such as those with smoking mothers, run the greatest risk of
experiencing damaging health effects.
Parents and caregivers can take action to protect their
children and loved ones from the dangers of secondhand smoke:
ü
Choose
not to smoke in your home or car and don’t allow others to do so.
ü
Choose
not to smoke in the presence of people with asthma.
ü
Choose
not to smoke in the presence of children.
ü
Do
not allow baby-sitters, caregivers or others who work in your home to smoke
in your house or near your children.
ü
Talk
to your children’s teachers and day care providers about keeping the
places
your children spend time smoke-free.
Act now
against asthma at home by clearing your home of asthma triggers……your children
will breathe easier!
To learn
more about asthma triggers in the home visit www.epa.gov/smokefree or call the
Monroe County Health Department at 487-6782.
Information from