Asthma Awareness Month – Chemical Irritants

Chemical irritants are found in some products in your house and may trigger asthma. Your asthma or your child’s asthma may be worse around products such as cleaners, paints, adhesives, pesticides, cosmetics or air fresheners.

Chemical irritants are also present in schools and can be found in commonly used cleaning supplies and educational kits.

Chemical irritants may exacerbate asthma. At sufficient concentrations in the air, many products can trigger a reaction.

What can you do?

If you find that your asthma or your child’s asthma gets worse when you use a certain product, consider trying different products. If you must use a product, then you should:

• Make sure your child is not around.
• Open windows or doors, or use an exhaust fan.
• Always follow the instructions on the product label.

What are some other environmental triggers?

• Secondhand smoke ~ If quitting is not an option, do outdoors.
• Dust mites ~ Cover your mattress and pillowcases in a dust-proof cover.
• Molds ~ Fix leaky faucets, pipes or other sources of water.
• Pests ~ Keep food and garbage in closed containers.
• Pets ~ Dander – Keep them outdoors or keep them out of sleeping areas.
• Nitrogen Dioxide
• Outdoor Air Pollution
• Wood Smoke

Resource: EPA