Infant asthma and Air Pollution
In France, 20% of infants under 36 months of age suffer from asthma (respiratory disease), which is one of the major allergies, characterized by inflammation of the bronchi. Hereditary factors play a role in the diagnosis of these infections. Also, air pollution has been clearly identified as one of the factors favouring the development of allergies and asthma, hence the importance of healthy air for your baby. After all, at birth, his lungs are still far from being finished: they will continue to develop until he is about 8 years old. As an infant spends most of his time indoors and breathes twice as much air as an adult, the quality of the air he breathes is crucial to his development.
You probably tell yourself that at home, baby is calm in his bubble, protected from outside aggressions and air pollution: noise, extreme heat or cold, viruses, exhaust fumes, tobacco smoke, allergens, mould and other pollutants... However, this is not the case, indoor air is 5 to 10 times more polluted than outside and in France, in a dwelling, there are on average 30 different pollutants.
Your baby in his room breathes not only the outdoor air, which is more or less polluted depending on where you live, but also a rich palette of already famous polluting particles: VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). These VOCs emanate from walls, floors, materials, cleaning products, furniture, cigarette smoke...
The most dangerous polluting particles are the finest. They progress to the end of the respiratory tract, reach the alveoli and cause lung diseases. They then enter the bloodstream and also cause cardiovascular problems by clogging small vessels. This is how they can cause chronic bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma symptoms, asthma attacks, lung cancer, strokes and myocardial infarction.
Air pollution also increases the risk of giving birth to a low birth weight child. INSERM (French National Institute for Health and Medical Research) attributes 8,292 cases of hypertrophy to fine particles in 2012. Hypotrophy has very harmful effects, it can lead to a significant delay in intellectual development in children, the Institute points out.
Recognizing infant asthma
According to the Paediatric Society of Pneumology and Allergy, the first symptoms of asthma in infants include :
- blue tint to the face, nails or lips, which may indicate poor oxygenation
- exaggerated stomach movements, as if the infant is using his stomach muscles to breathe
- flared nostrils
- persistent cough, often dry (occurring at night)
- eczema
- a cough occurring at night
- fatigue
- seizures, difficulty breathing and wheezing (wheezing) usually triggered by a cold or other viral infection
Asthma can be difficult to recognise because it can resemble other respiratory diseases, food allergies, etc. Medical advice is needed to assess the severity of asthma. The doctor may prescribe an X-ray of the lungs. The treatment of asthma in infants is based on the prescription of medication. Bronchodilators treat asthma attacks, while corticosteroids are prescribed as background treatment (inhaled corticosteroids, often given with a metered dose inhaler).
What can I do to make my Home Sweet Home healthier?
- Regularly ventilate your home, preferably early in the morning or in the late evening. Do it even more if you are doing renovation or if you have brand new chipboard furniture
- Take the time to reac cleaning products ingredients and make sure to pick up the simplest ones (white vinegar alcohol, THE universal cleaner
- For your decoration: avoid objects or material where dust and mite love to accumulate, choose raw wood rather than chipboard furniture, natural material rather than carpet padding
- Correctly check the smooth running of your combustion devices such as boilers
- Regularly clean filters and air vents
- Set up an air purifier in the room where your baby spends most of its time
To find out more and to take more precautions, you can read this : Healthy Housing Reference Manual
TEQOYA air purifiers can help relieve infant asthma
TEQOYA air ionisers can help relieve persistent asthma (acute asthma episodes, wheezing). Indeed, they produce negative ions that remove even the finest polluting particles (these are the most dangerous because they penetrate deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream).
Negative ions are naturally present in large quantities in the purest areas of nature and disappear completely in urban or polluted environments. In addition to their ability to clean the air, they neutralise viruses and bacteria. The unique patented system of TEQOYA ionisers diffuses in your interior a quantity of negative ions equivalent to that found near a waterfall, enough to breathe as in the open air...
TEQOYA is THE natural, easy-to-live-with and environmental-friendly air purification solution
No filters to buy and change, very low energy consumption (2W, no more than a child's night light), no detectable noise at the ear (baby can sleep soundly, and so can you!) and absolutely no ozone production. In short, you plug them in and forget about them because they are guaranteed for 10 years and everything has been tested in independent laboratories. Proven efficiency !
Information on air quality and news from TEQOYA
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