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Seven facts for asthmatics concerning agricultural burning

2011-10-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Field burning west of
Eltopia, Washington

When agricultural businesses opt to burn waste in the state of Washington, asthmatics and those with other lung diseases are disproportionately affected. The smoke makes us sick, but there seem to be a lot of misconceptions surrounding the issue of agricultural burning. Is it always legal? What can I do if I am affected? Washington air quality laws have been in a state of revision, and the following seven facts should be of help -- and hope -- for asthmatics.

By law, in Washington State, those who contribute to pollution are required to share the job of protecting air quality. (Clean Air Act of 1991, Chapter 70.94 RCW). Here are seven facts from the Department of Ecology concering agricultural burning:.

Question 1: Franklin County has been declared a “right to farm” county. Doesn’t that mean that my neighbor has the right to burn his fields?

Fact 1: No. Not necessarily. As the state’s Air Quality web page notes: “While it is legal to burn for approved agronomic reasons with a permit, it is not legal to allow smoke to impact others.”

If your neighbor’s smoke is going to impact another neighbor, especially if is liable to make them ill, he may not burn.

Question 2: Are the revised laws picking on farmers?

Fact 2: No. The comprehensive revision of the state's air pollution laws “affects not just agriculture, but many other commercial, individual and governmental activities.”

Question 3: What about crop residues? Farmers say they need to reduce excess plant materials and hinder pest infestations.

Fact 3: They may burn crop residues if it is not impacting other people, but they must have a permit to burn.

Question 4: What about orchards? Is a permit required to burn pruning waste and old trees that must be removed?

Fact 4: Yes, one must obtain a permit for any and all agricultural burning, but one may not burn if that burning impacts others.

Question 5: I live where they grow cereal crops, wheat, barley, corn and oats. Can they burn stubble after harvest?

Fact 5: As with all agricultural burning, they must obtain a permit to burn this waste, and they may not burn it if it impacts other people.

Question 6: How do I know whether it is a legal burn day?

Fact 6: “To help reduce smoke-related environmental and health concerns, the Department of Ecology's Eastern Washington Burn Team makes a daily burn/no-burn decision called the "burn call" for agricultural burning permit holders. The burn call provides daily current and forecasted air quality conditions and burn decisions to citizens. You can get burn call information at the daily burn call web site

Question 7: Who has the responsibility of protecting air quality in the state of Washington?

Answer 7: We all do, but those who burn have a special responsibility under the Clean Air Act. “The Clean Air Washington Act of 1991 (Chapter 70.94 RCW) states that those who contribute to air pollution will share the job of protecting air quality.”

Other information: Are there any liability issues for those burning for agronomic reasons so long as they have a permit?

Answer: One would think so. You may need to consult an attorney, but the Department of Ecology web site provides this warning to those who burn: “The agricultural burning of field crop residue and orchard tear-out residue can directly impact the safety and health of citizens breathing the smoke-filled air. It also states that they may not burn if it will impact others. See ‘Chapter 173-430 WAC – Agricultural Burning’ for more information.

Source: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/aginfo/dailyburncallpage.htm

Do you need to register a complaint about air quality? It’s easy! Go to this link: http://fcwaq.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-do-i-complain-about-air-pollution.html

Smokers may check out relief link

2011-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Smoking is associated with lung diseases that may be disabling or even deadly. Want to quit smoking?

The following link may be of interest to smokers who want to quit.

http://www.quitline.com

Franklin County, Washington is callous and flippant regarding lung disease

2011-06-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

Franklin County's stiff necked "Law of the West" policies are injurious to asthmatics and people with other lung diseases, as I believe government studies have indicated repeatedly.

Thousands of acres of Franklin County land will no doubt be set ablaze soon. Wheat fields are burned to get rid of agricultural waste that could be considered beneficial biological by-products.

The excuse frequently given -- that there is no alterative to buring -- seems outlandish. Alternatives are within reach. Big cities, for example, commonly get the go ahead to spread municipal waste on rural lands in the name of composting (the presumed best use of "beneficial bi-product" -- the government's word for what you and I would call "shit."

But counties still can't figure out what to do with wheat stubble. Amazing.

Smoke from field burning in Franklin County, Washington is likely to be worse in 2011. The reason for this goes back to.earlier this year when the buzz was out that wheat prices might be headed upward this growing season; many farmers (including my neighbors) plowed under crops such as alfalfa, in favor of wheat.

When Franklin County farmers sow wheat, asthma patients reap physical disability, and even death.

Don't snort: The association between particulate matter air pollution and premature morbidity and mortality rates are well well documented, as the Alaw article notes (See citation below.).

"Morbidity" means a diseased state, disability, or poor health, and "mortality," of course, means death. So what this is saying is that increased particulate matter sickens and or kills folk: not all folk, thankfully, but enough of them to be a huge concern.

"But," someone might say, "Field burning doesn't put out enough particulate matter to be a realistic threat." Sadly, that response would be wrong.

I suspect that Franklin County doesn't want anyone to know exactly how much particulate matter the county's field-burning releases. Given the large amount, it will undoubtedly find its way to your lungs, if you live in this county. But is the smoke a mere nuisance? Read on to find out.

To find out just how much of a problem field burning is, we may have to rely on data from other places, say, Spokane. I think we can easily get an idea from Spokane's numbers, the amount of gunk that is going up in smoke in our county.

Here's the deal, according to alaw.org:

"During the 1995 season, the release of approximately 620 tons of particulates; 3,900 tons of carbon monoxide; and 750 tons of volatile organic compounds such as methane gas, formaldehyde, acrolein (which causes lung damage), and benzo-phyrene (a carcinogen) were a direct result of 11 days of grass field burning in Spokane County. Field burning contributes 17% of the particulate pollution and 8% of the volatile organic compounds present in Eastern Washington."

"Well, only 17 percent," someone might say. But again that response is off mark, because, as the article also notes:

"Though field burning takes place on a relatively few days of the year, the smoke produced is very intense due to the organic material burned and the number of acres torched. For example, during the 1995 burn season, 27,000 acres were burned within a three-day time period, creating smoke intrusion into surrounding communities."

The hazard of smoke (for asthmatics and other folk with lung disease) is dramatically increased due to the extreme concentration of the releases over relatively short amounts of time.

Comparing Spokane and Franklin County
According to http://www.bluefish.org/wheatfax.htm, Franklin County in 1997 harvested 118,300 acres of wheat. The same web site reported Spokane as harvesting 114,000 acres of wheat. In other words, and if I understand this correctly, Franklin County, if anything, may have more wheat under cultivation than Spokane. So, similar numbers might apply to Franklin County as well.

Field burning produces an incredible amount of concentrated smoke, especially if a temperature inversion occurs, keeping the smoke at or near ground level for, sometimes, weeks at a time. And the smoke doesn't stay put. So far as I am concerned, it is too bad that the owners/producers of this toxic material don't have to breathe it all themselves. Instead it seeps into your kitchen and into your bedroom, and the wind blows it around the earth, dispersing it. But it doesn't really go "away," where ever "away is." It always goes to someone else's back yard.

The present policy is cruel and irresponsible at best, and we may some day find that it was illegal all along.

One hates to accuse Franklin County of being hard-hearted toward people with lung disease, but I think the county's own web page shows incredible callousness with its flippant remarks aimed at the very people their policies are harming. As evidence I quote

http://www.co.franklin.wa.us/planning/agriculture.html, which admits the following:

"Land preparation causes dust, farmers burn their fields, grain growers burn stubble," and it goes on to say, "This burning creates smoke that you may find objectionable."

As to airborne chemicals Franklin County admits: "You may be sensitive to these substances and many people actually have severe allergic reactions."

Franklin County's "Law of the West" policy goes out of its way to explain elementary and obvious facts, such as, "manure can cause objectionable odors" (Gee, I wouldn't have known that.)

But the real kicker for me is when it follows up with this official sounding legal advice: "Washington State protects farmers and ranchers from nuisance and liability lawsuits."

Oh really? Well, that remains to be seen doesn't it.

Asthma affects a surprisingly large population, and statistics reveal how tragic county policy is: Something like ten to fifteen percent of our people have reported some degree of asthma. We are not a marginal few patients, and our numbers are growing and, in my opinion, can be expected to grow even more as the state continues to downgrade the importance of maintaining air quality. I offer this opinion, that vested interests really don't care how much the EPA goes on and on about their charts and figures, flow charts and data, so long as nobody does anything about the problem.

We, the gasping people, are not a few, and we are not weak politically. All we lack is the will to fight back. It's hard to fight when you can't breathe; I know this from personal experience, But some day, when enough of us have been killed or made ill, perhaps we will rise up and prevail. I can always hope.

Copyright information: This article is the sole property of (me) the author: F. Ellsworth Lockwood. I hereby authorize anyone to cite this article in full or in part provided they cite the author as the source.

CDC claims ignorance of causes of asthma increase

2011-05-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

A false claim, in this opinion: The CDC does know why the incidence of asthma is on the increase again.

A Web MD, May 3, 2011, article (http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20110503/asthma-rates-on-the-rise-in-the-us?ecd=wnl_aaa_050911. reported, "The number of people with asthma has been rising in recent years, but CDC researchers say in a new report that they aren’t sure why." (Emphasis mine.)

With due respect, for sure all health providers know the kinds of things that exacerbate asthma and increase the likelihood of lung problems.

There are, of course, the causes that nature has always dished out, including weather-related dust, smoke from volcanoes, spores from naturally occurring molds, and other similar exposures. Indeed, those as well as human genetics help explain a baseline range of asthma incidents. But that baseline we have left in the dust, so to speak.

The government (and surely the CDC) knows many other things that can and do cause asthma, even in people who would not normally have asthma. Perhaps it is not politically expedient to emphasize links to chemical exposures, car exhaust, diesel exhaust, sulfur fumes, community and systems planning, construction and farming methods and so-on.

That exposures are on the increase world-wide and certainly in the USA, seems so obvious as to hardly need mentioning. Massive, single crop farms produce extraordinary amounts of single-type pollens, areal spraying exposes us albeit to better and less long lasting chemicals. We spread both human and animal waste on croplands (which may or may not become airborne). Monoculture crops from our large scale farms, when they are infected, introduce large scale airborne disease spores, such as wheat molds and corn smuts. And does anyone doubt that, under cover of darkness, we still have industries that illegally dump from their smokestacks?

When it comes to dust, rather than water the soil first, we plow or disc our fields when they are dry, creating wind borne dust. In wheat lands, soil disturbance from farming and construction results in dust storms that blanket entire regions in fine dust and with the volcanic ash that is so prevalent in the region where I live. As if that were not enough, we harvest the wheat and then burn the chaff, filling the air with smoke that rivals the biblical judgements "unleashed" upon the earth. The same thing happens in California's central valley, with the burning of rice fields. And rural people, whether in the woodlands or agricultural areas, are unmolested by local governments while they still use inefficient wood stoves and burn their piles of smoldering leaves, producing noxious fumes that make life miserable for millions of neighbors.

Concerning the Air Quality Index and our freeway exhaust: On any given day one can read the air quality index (AQI) and everything is supposedly green and clear. In the winter, especially, we have clean air over the entire northwest. Or do we? The air may be clean where the EPA places its monitors, but not where the people are, which is to say, in their cars. The AQI is meaningless for anyone who has to drive to work and home again, especially on the freeways and major traffic routes. If one finds himself stalled in heavy traffic of a freeway jam, he might as well be sitting in a gas chamber.

If the EPA were to string air quality monitors along the major traffic corridors and to base their reports on those monitors, what do you want to bet that the green would suddenly turn to red all across the country?

How bad is the worsening asthma problem? Am I making a mountain of a mole hill? According to various CDC reports:

Asthma, has been increasing in prevalence since 1980 in the USA.
During 1980--1996, asthma prevalence increased.
Since 1980, the proportion of children and adults with asthma who report activity limitation has remained stable (I.e, it was not getting better in spite of numerous reports and massive interventions by the government and various health organizations.)
Rates of outpatient visits and emergency department visits for asthma increased (which may help explain why there were fewer hospitalizations for asthma during that period).
Rates of lifetime asthma during 1997--1999 were higher than the previously reported rates.

A final word on the causes and costs of asthma. There is much we can do to alleviate the problem; changing methods of farming, construction, and transportation, and implementing better community planning, are a few examples, but opponents fear the costs of change.

Yet, the bill for asthma, according to the CDC, is now well over $56 billion annually and rising at greater than 1 percent per year. And this does not include the human suffering. How much suffering? Well, that's hard to measure, but anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the Washington's people have asthma, some worse than others.

We do know why asthma incidence is on the increase, and it's not all lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. Reports may wrongly place blame for a lot of diseases on lack of exercise. A grain of truth, perhaps, but it is also to be expected that sick people will probably exercise less as a rule.

Beyond things within our individual control are societal choices that we make as a people. To date we as a nation have agreed to sacrifice an increasingly large number of people to the gods of smoke, dust, and air borne chemicals.

We desperately need to change, but we are a nation in denial. The CDC itself is resorting to pitiful admonitions to clean our houses better, to stay indoors, and to manage our symptoms. All of these may be fine, but we need clean air to breathe, and this will require radical restructuring of the way we do things. Entire systems will have to change. And they will change, if not not now, eventually they will change as we are forced to face the ugly truth that we have contaminated our planet beyond it's innate capacity to recycle the waste.

But please, let's not pretend that we don't know the causes of worsening asthma.

Asthma community network

2011-04-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

The online Asthma Community Network offers resources for action groups and more.

I just discovered this network's page, which has links to a blog, upcoming events, and resources for community action groups and healthcare organizations. Check it out at the following link:

http://www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/

Where there's smoke there's ....

2011-03-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Where there's smoke there's ... ASTHMA.

Went out to work in the yard today and after a few minutes started having breathing problems. That's when I notice there was smoke in the air. The f armers must be burning off the corners of their circles, or maybe the irrigation districts burning off the ditches? I am not sure. Just came indoors.

What will that do for the course of Prednisone the doctor put me on a few days ago. Hope it doesn't mess it up. The Prednisone keeps you up at night. Can't sleep, and so worked on blogs until 2 AM or so before falling asleep. Makes the hands jittery too. Best stay away from smoke but sometimes it creeps up on you.

I should stay indoors and if necessary to go outside, use a respirator/mask to minimize the amount of particles breathed in. Hope this smoke doesn't last too long.

Asthmatics may worsen unawares

2011-03-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Just got a surprise from my doctor today. The office staff called and said, "It has been a year since we have seen you."

I replied: "Well, that's because I have been doing much better."

They suggested I go in for my annual checkup, which I did, and guess what. When they gave me the breathing test, the doctor's face reflected consternation.

"How's my air flow, is it better than a year ago?"

"No, he said, it's gotten much worse."

They then sent me in for another X-ray, and I am now waiting for the results. They monitor me periodically now because I was exposed to some stuff, including asbestos while in the U.S. Navy, and there are signs of scaring in the space around my lungs. That's usually caused by asbestos, I am told.

But the bottom line is that, just because you are not waking up every night, apparently you cannot assume that your asthma is getting better or remaining unchanged. Accordingly, a ten day course of a supposedly low dose of Prednizone has been ordered.

Now that I look back, I can see that there were some symptoms after all, however. For example, when I work in the yard, I get tired much more quickly. Could it be that this is a result of the asthma? My doctor's assistant says, "Yes."

The bottom line is, your asthma can be getting worse and you may not notice it. Regular checkups with the docor may catch the problem and address it before things become drastic.

2011-03-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

The American Lung Association is pushing the "urgent need" to clean up the "dangerous mix of toxic air pollutants that flow from the stacks of uncontrolled coal burning plants" in order to stem "the health harm associated with these pollutants."

Technology is already "commercially available and proven to work," the report says. See the article an accompanying video as follows:

http://www.lungusa.org/healthy-air/outdoor/resources/toxic-air-report/

Scientific discovery may help those with asthma, emphysema

2011-03-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

According to a "Science Daily" release (Jan. 27, 2011), scientists have found a way to block an enzyme responsible for excessive mucous in patients with asthma and emphysema. Furthermore, the drug has already been proven safe in trials for other diseases. The article was posted at:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110127101325.htm

Join Asthma Community Network

2011-03-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Asthma Community Network link is available as follows:

http://www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/

The page carries news and articles of interest to the asthma community; both patients and health care providers might find the site interesting.

EPA asthma forum to be held in Washington DC

2011-03-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

The EPA's national asthma forum will be held June 9-10, 2011. Among others encouraged to attend are health representatives from school districts who are interested in developing asthma plans for their schools.

Says the announcement: "National Asthma Forum ... attendees ... discover best practices, explore the latest science, hear from leading asthma care programs, and develop leadership and action plans ..." (etc.)

Cindy Cookson describes the event as follows:

"They really walk you through a work plan so that you can come back to your individual programs with some very distinct goals of what your next steps should be in terms of moving your program forward." (Cindy Cookson, Neighborhood Health Plan)

The full article is found at: https://www.epaasthmaforum.com/Index.aspx

ANOTHER ELTOPIA DUST STORM, FEB 28

2011-02-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

Wow, we had quite a little dust storm here in Eltopia, Franklin County, WA this morning but it only lasted for an hour or so, then we got some rain.

I am not planning to cover daily weather events, but I added these dust storms as examples of some local natural events that might cause breathing problems. The greater Tri-Cities, Washington can be a high-dust area due to the frequent drying winds, especially in the spring and fall, but we also get dry winds in the winter because this basin is in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountain Range. It's basically a desert that irrigation water has made to bloom.

Perhaps the more land that goes into some kind of cover crop, the fewer dust storms we may have, yet particulate matter is known to ride the wind for well over 100 miles, affecting air quality. If every inch of land were well managed, we could still get dust storms blowing in from other counties and even from other states. Asthmatics might be aware of this before moving to eastern Washington.

DUST STORM FEB 27, 2011

2011-02-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year. Driving home from the jam session this afternoon and saw a dust storm coming. It's all around us now. Five miles west of Eltopia. I am wondering if this is causing any asthma problems for people in my area, and how they are weathering the storm.

Winter has not been good for my asthma for some reason. For about six or eight months my asthma had been good, but my breathing fell off slightly during the winter months. Nothing that sent me to the doctor yet, but the season brought a noticable difference. Anyone care to comment on that? Thanks.

Recent changes to blog, please help

2011-02-26T18:57:00.001-08:00

I have made some recent changes to my blogs. If you should happend to find any broken links I would appreciate a heads up via the comments. Thanks.

More importantly, you might note the new URL: www.asthmaattacker.com

The old link will work temporarily but he new link might be easier to remember.

Asthma (and other) government program cuts proposed

2011-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Asthmatics looking to the government for environmental, health leadership? Don't hold your breath.

Even under the new, Obama administration, USA government says it can no longer afford many health and environmental programs.

According to an e-letter from Asthma Program Manager Reva Wittenberg (Washington State Department of Health), the Government says it can't continue the funding of research and information gathering for certain asthma, clean air, environment, and other health programs.

Programs liable to be cut, combined or eliminated include the following:

Health monitorning of persons living in "public health emergency" communities.
Asthma Control Program
Healthy Homes Lead poisoning Prevention
Affordable Health Care Prevention
Climate Change program
Environmental Health Tracking
Healthy Community Design
Safe Water/Foodborn and Waaterborne Illnesses

Read the article at: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/information/2012budget.htm

Web MD discusses link between social interactions and asthma

2011-02-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

WebMD recently published an article on the relationship between asthma and social activities such as family interactions at the dinner table.

(Read the WebMD article: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20110204/family-meals-linked-to-improved-asthma-in-kids?ecd=wnl_aaa_021411)

Which raises the question, how much mileage can we get out of improving social settings for asthmatics?

What I do know is that my first asthma attacks came when my father returned from his stint in the Navy during World War II. Yes, he smoked, which could have been a factor. But there was also the element of social stress. As my mother admitted to me not long ago, my dad was "having trouble adjusting to civilian life."

Not sure what she meant by that, but likely there was some kind of stress involving family interactions.

Can it be that simply being raised in a family where social stress is the norm can predispose people to life-long asthma?

Reader comments welcome.

Call them "cigar lounges," or asthma traps, they leave me gasping

2011-02-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

Representative Joe Schmick
Colfax, WA

Is HB 1683 really about “Cigar Lounges,” or Death Modules?

State Representative Joe Schmick of Colfax, Washington, backs the rights of people to destroy their lungs, and of businesses to enable them to do so -- for a price, of course, though this is not mentioned.

And these supposed “rights” take precedence over the health and well being of employees exposed to high concentrations of the deadly fumes. I envision lounges packing as many smokers as possible into a confined, poisonous space.

As I see it, the bill is more about protecting the business owners that the employees, who would be required to sign a waiver. I assume the waiver would be there to protect the businesses (and the government?) from law suits in the event of illnesses and deaths due to exposure to the deadly fumes.

In response to my previous post, Representative Schmick thanked me for my comments in opposition to HB 1683 and proceeded to educate me as to its supposed “benefits.”

According to Mr. Schmick, “This bill would allow cigar lounges -- which legally sell cigars and tobacco products -- to allow their customers to have a separate location to smoke their products.”

An applicant for a cigar lounge endorsement would be required to designate an area for the smoking of tobacco products.

The area would be “physically separated from any areas where smoking is prohibited under state law.”

What does “physically separated” mean?

“An area that is enclosed on all sides by solid, impermeable walls or windows extending from the floor to ceiling with self-closing doors."

The employee willing to work at this establishment voluntarily signs a waiver that “smoke may be present” in this confined room.

May be present? Please, what this describes is like a hell hole of death.

Nevertheless, Mr. Schmick wrote, “In my opinion, cigars and tobacco are legal within the state and private businesses should be allowed, if they meet the criteria, to allow their customers to use their products.”

The criteria laid out in the bill protects the general public from being exposed to smoke “with strict rules,” Representative Schmick says.

While Mr. Schmick may care about defending the liberal rights of these pedlars of misery and death, I do not.

For more information by F. Ellsworth Lockwood concerning this topic, please see: http://felpolitics.blogspot.com/

Joe Schmick is listed on the Washington .gov page as being on the following committees:
Health Care & Wellness (ranking)

Health & Human Services Appropriations (assistant ranking)
Ways and Means
Rules

To follow the issue on the .gov page see: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1683
I encourage readers to submit their comments below, in response or reaction to this post.

RESTORE SMOKING TO PUBLIC PLACES? NO WAY!

2011-02-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Legalize More Butts?

How many asthmatics recall the bad old days, when they could not eat in a restaurant without an asthma attack, due to the cigarette, pipe and cigar smoke? Then came laws prohibiting smoking in public places and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

But will the good times soon be gone?

According to American Lung Association, tobacco lobbies are wanting to "let Prince Albert out of the can" again; they would undo at least some of the laws prohibiting smoking in public places.

As if it were not bad enough that the ALA gives Washington a grade of "F" on its "report card' for tobacco prevention and control (http://www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org/state-grades/washington/), we now also have a constituency that wants to roll the laws back, forcing us to breath other people's smoke again in certain public places.

A copy of the letter from Carrie Nyssen follows:

Together, in 2005, we worked to ensure all Washington workers had clean, healthy air to breathe in the workplace. Voters in all 39 Washington counties voted to make Washington smoke free. Since the implementation of the smoke-free law, air quality in businesses that allowed smoking has greatly increased and compliance has been high.

Our work is not yet done! This Thursday, February 10, the Business and Financial Services committee of the Washington State Legislature will be hearing public testimony on legislation that would allow smoking in some businesses. Please lend your voice and help keep Washington's businesses smoke free!

If this legislation passes, smoking would once again be allowed in some businesses, leaving some employees exposed to the deadly toxins in secondhand smoke.

This legislation is a wrong directional step for Washington. Please take action NOW by emailing your legislators and asking them to keep Washington smoke free!

Thank you!

The dirty-air tobacco lobby seeks to get it's nasty toenails in the door, no doubt, one little concession at at time.

Take action as follows:

http://action.lungusa.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=4021&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS

Which floors are best for asthmatics?

2011-02-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

Carpets, or wood? Are your carpeted floors making you sick, or is it the other way around?

Many asthma-related web sites say to remove carpets if possible, preferring hard surface floors (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma-triggers/AN01948, for example).

Carpet companies and floor installers often sing a different tune (http://www.carpet-health.org/aa.asp), lauding the benefits of carpeted floors, even for asthmatics.

So who's right?

When we built our new home last year, selecting the right floors was a big decision because I had been having regular asthma problems for the previous five years. One of the first things the salesmen asked was, "Why are you thinking of putting in hardwood floors? If the reason is to avoid allergens, don't pay the extra money for hardwood floors, because carpets act as a natural filter."

After reading a lot of web sites we decided to ignore the carpet salesman and go with hard surfaces. I am glad we made that choice. The dust that collects on the floors has been a real eye opener. It may be true that the carpets trap dust and allergens, thus acting as a kind of "filter", but the problem is, the carpets do just that. Carpets do collect -- and hold -- the dust, dirt, pollens, dead skin and so-on.

However, when I had carpet floors, no way could I get down on the floor and do push ups without wheezing, not even right after vacuuming. With wood floors (and, I assume with laminates and other hard surfaces as well) I can just run a damp dust mop over the floor, and it is ready for me to drop down and do push-ups, roll out my yoga mat and do my stretches, or whatever down close to the floor. There is so little dust that putting my face right to the floor doesn't even bother me.

Does this mean that hard floors are best for everyone? Possibly, though not necessarily.

True, my asthma has been much better since we moved into the new house. But the floors are only one of many factors that could account for that.

The outcome might depend upon the individual differences among asthmatics. Are you strongly reactive to chemicals that may be in the hard surface floors themselves? If dust, pollen, and the other above-named allergens don't set off your asthma, then nice, new carpets might feel soft and comfortable to walk in, and our hardwood floors were double the cost of most carpets. If money were the determining factor, we could have gotten by with laminate which is much less expensive and still avoided carpets.

In our case, the hard floors have been a real blessing. I wouldn't go back to the carpets for anything, and when I dust the floors, I can see whether or not they are clean. With carpets (sorry vacuum cleaner sales people) I found that no amount of vacuuming would get the dust completely out of the fabric. To lie on the floor meant to spend the night up with asthma. With wood floors, those sleepless nights have been mostly a thing of the past.

My best advice: Other things being equal (and assuming that you don't react to any chemicals in the flooring), go with hard surfaces.

January asthma deterioration

2011-02-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

YELLOW ALERT

JAN/FEB I would describ as an asthma "yellow altert" OVER HERE IN ELTOPIA, WA

January Asthma Rating = In ethe Yellow Zone

For so many months of relief, beginning last spring, I got spoiled, but now, for most of January and first day of February, 2011, for some reason the asthma has been a little troublesome here west of Eltopia, east of Hanford Reservation.

Seems odd, especially as it has been damp, no dry winds with dust ... such as we had last year. So I thought the allergies 0ff-season should have been better than ever.

The neighbor's wood stove turned out to be not much of a problem, as they burn the wood dry and hot, so there is very little smoke that reaches here, especially as the prevailing winds carry it elsewhere.

About three seasons were almost asthma free. However, there have been some unexplained exacerbations lately, so much so that January would rate a not-happy face.

Also, have been noting some suspicious clouds in the evenings, emissions of some sort, west of us. Did not have the camera with me or I would have taken pictures yesterday evening. And driving back from town after dark last night, we smelled really strong fumes, like gas or chemical odors, on Road 68 and Taylor Flats roads north of Pasco.

Comments welcome. How was your asthma during January? Average, worse, or better than usual?

Big mistake takes my breath away

2010-10-25T01:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I made a big mistake. We owned a house next door and we sold it. Fine and well. But the first thing the new owners did was build a fire in the burning barrel and the second thing they did was build a fire in the shop's woodstove. We had lived in that place for two years and never used the wood heat, but I didn't think to make the new owners sign an agreement not to use the wood heat. So here I am in my new house, but up all night with asthma. I had been asthma free for about six months! Then comes the smoke ... and the asthma.

There must be something we can do to stop woodburning stoves. We stopped them from lighting up in public places, but a woodstove is more like igniting thousands of cigarrettes all at once! Counties and cities need to stop these attacks on asthmatics!

Bad Sky in the Morning

2010-08-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today's smoke makes Thursday's look like nothing at all. Coming out of the north, the smoke is pouring over the land in a dismal, gray fog of soot. My house has been enveloped, basically trapping me indoors, for how long it will be, I don't know.

Is this the necessary price of your morning Wheaties? Illness to suffering to death for the weak, the young, the elderly? Farmers of grass crops say, "Yes," and the State of Washington seems to agree. There apparently is nothing illegal in this, yet if feels as if someone is trying to smoke us out. We hunker down like gophers in our holes, hoping the smoke won't trigger another asthma attack.

In the past, there have been days when I had to leave town, but I cannot afford the hotel bills, and no one seems to know for how many days the air will be polluted.

Visitors from next door came in while I was writing the above. Now I see another large plume to the west. Must be a burn day in greater Eltopia area.

Our new air filtration system helps: Our filtration system is doing a pretty good job, though some smoke came in when we opened the door for our company as they came and went. So long as the door stays shut, it seems that we have clean air indoors, thank you Dayco Electric of Kennewick, Washington (http://www.daycoheating.com/) and "Trane CleanEffects" (Registered Trademark).

Our Trane CleanEffects air filtration system is rated to remove up to 99.98 percent of allergens from filtered air. (See their web page: http://www.trane.com/Residential/Clean-Air/Cleaneffects). We have been in our new home for a couple smoke filled days now, and so far we are quite pleased with our new air filtration system. Better than I had imagined.

I feel sorry for those who cannot possibly afford to install such as system. For those who can afford it, it is a God send.

Please stop the "Burning Man" of Franklin County, Washington

2010-08-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

GOVERNMENT POLICIES RESULT IN WEEKLY TO DAILY ATTACKS AGAINST ASTHMATICS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, WA

For more information, please see my new story about the "Burning Man" of Franklin County, Washington at the following link:

http://fcwaq.blogspot.com/

Washington cities: Is asthma incidence kept secret?

2010-04-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the prevalence of asthma, how does your city rate? You don't know? I didn't think so. Unless you live in one of the top 100 best cities ... or the top worst, you may have trouble, as I have, in trying to find that information. Am I just looking at the wrong web pages? If so, let me know, send me a URL.

I have spent most of this evening trying to find out the incidence rate for for Tri-Cities, Washington. I was disappointed with the measures that the state of Washington apparently took to in order to avoid the question.

Washington's Burden of Asthma Report lists the dispersion of asthma so many ways it will make your head swim: by race, by age, by everything under the sun almost ... except by city.

(http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/asthma/burden_of_asthma.htm and

http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/asthma/publications/burden/people-affected-wa.pdf

Yes, on certain other web sites I did find Spokane (indicated with a solid black circle, which is not good). Seattle amazingly was rated as a good city for asthma, but then, that page factored in such things as the number of doctors available per 1000 people. That does NOT tell me what percentage of people there have asthma at all.

If someone knows a web page that gives the incidence by city of all small, medium and larger cities in the U.S.A., please comment me and pass that information along to others. Thanks.

Mayo Clinic confirms asthma without wheezing

2010-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

According to a Mayo Clinic article by James T. Li, M.D. it's possible to have asthma without wheezing. I remember getting into a disagreement a pulmonary nurse over this issue about two years ago, over this very issue. She said that it was not asthma, it may have been bronchitis, as wheezing is part of the definition of asthma. I told her they could call it whatever they wanted to but that that, in my younger days, some of my worst asthma attacks were not the noisiest, that in fact there sometimes was no wheezing.

Now I see that Mayo clinic has now concluded pretty much the same thing: Asthma can occur without wheezing. See the article at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma/AN01809/rss=1

(Nowadays I don't hear my own wheezing because of a high frequency hearing loss, but that is another issue.)