Lung Disease Impacted By Poor Indoor Air Quality

Researchers have known for some time that outdoor air pollution can impact those with compromised immune systems, however recently they have started to conduct more complete studies on the impact of poor indoor air quality on respiratory systems.

At the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, their research team documented the symptoms of 148 adults who suffered from severe cases of chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — ie emphysema, chronic bronchitis.

The research showed that in indoor air environments where pollutants such as tobacco smoke were present, significantly worse symptoms were reported by the COPD participants.

In terms of improving the quality of life and especially for the COPD patients it is critical to breathe indoor air that is as clean as possible. Source control is the best method to improve the air and for this case study simply not allowing any smoking inside should improve the results. In addition, an effective air filtration system that removes the smallest particles is important as those are the particles that travel to the lungs.