Green Cleaning and Green Pesticides

       The Community Asthma Network has gathered information from internet sites and composed two booklets, one for green cleaning and one for green pesticides that utilize products from your cupboards that do not usually trigger asthma attacks. 
    Volatile organic compounds are chemical irritants found in cleaning products including solvents, paint, polishes and glues. They are known asthma triggers. In a Perth study group of 192 children aged 6 months to 3 years, 88 had been diagnosed with asthma in an ER department, and 104 did not have asthma, acting as a control group. Researchers took air samples from the homes of all children in summer and winter and tested them for concentration of VOCs. After taking into account other factors known to influence the development of asthma, they found that the higher the levels of VOCs in the home, the more likely the children were to have asthma. Medical News Today, August 25, 2004 (Thorax) 
    The National Academy of Sciences has found that in general, children are more susceptible to environmental toxins than adults. This is because pound for pound, children eat more food and drink more water than adults, and thus they take in more pesticides and toxic chemicals relative to body weight. Children also have a more rapid respiratory rate and take in a greater volume of air per unit of body weight than adults. At the same time, children’s organ systems are still developing and therefore are more vulnerable and less able to detoxify hazardous chemicals. www.beyondpesticides.org.

Green Gardening and Green Lawn Care

    The Community Asthma Network has brochures on low pollen choices of flowers, plants, bushes, trees, shrubs and herbs. Also utilizing corn gluten to fertilize lawns is a safer, minimum risk biological pesticide encouraged by the EPA. CAN advises the use of allergy approved facemasks, hats, gloves, glasses and long sleeve shirts to avoid skin and nose exposure to pollen. Pollen counts are usually lower on cool, cloudy days, late afternoons or evenings. Immediately shower after gardening. Keep grass cut to 2 inches high or less to reduce pollen stems from blowing in the wind. Keep windows closed for 3 hours after cutting the lawn.

...www.asthmansw.org.au
...www.healthycommunitiesproject.org

American Lung Association Asthma 101 

    The Community Asthma Network offers Asthma 101:What You Need to Know to community schools, coaches, daycares and the recreation department to increase their awareness and education of the triggers of asthma and how to respond and prevent asthms attacks. Educated caregivers save lives. This course was designed to provide basic information about asthma and its management. About 15 people die each day in the US because of asthma. An estimated 22.2 million people currently have asthma and 6.8 million of those are children. In 2004, there were 3,780 deaths attributed to asthma. All professionals caring for children diagnosed with asthma should have basic asthma training.

...www.lungusa.org
    

CAN also provides individualized powerpoint presentations and develops materials for use in asthma education and awareness programs. These include COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, reduction of asthma triggers using green products and green gardening, and baby basics and asthma.