Our team at the Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT) Research Program at UT Health San Antonio wanted to share this important external study:
“Air Quality Risks in Public Housing” in JAMA Health Forum.
The study, led by researchers in Virginia and other states, compared indoor air quality in public housing with outdoor air quality in a region with an “A” rating from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), five years after a federal ban on smoking in public housing.
In 12 public housing communities in Virginia, researchers found “daily indoor PM2.5 concentrations were significantly higher than outdoor air concentrations” and “most indoor readings were in the moderate or worse EPA categories, while most outdoor readings were classified as good.”
“Results of this study suggest that, even in regions with top-rated outdoor air quality, public housing residents may experience poor indoor conditions, highlighting the need for targeted pollution-reduction and [fairness-focused] interventions,” according to study authors.
Indoor Air Quality, Smoking, and Chemical Intolerance
Indoor air quality is an important concern in development of chemical intolerance (CI) and TILT, said Dr. Claudia Miller, allergist/immunologist, professor emeritus, and leader of the TILT Program at UT Health San Antonio.
Chemical intolerance can impact children and adults, Miller said.
The condition stems from Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). TILT is a two-stage disease process characterized by an initial exposure event, which can be acute, repeated, or chronic. Once a toxic exposure has altered and sensitized an individual’s mast cells – the body’s first line of defense against foreign substances – it triggers TILT.
After that, exposure to small amounts of structurally unrelated substances can trigger multisystem health symptoms.
TILT initiating exposures may include smoking and tobacco products, indoor air contaminants, mold, pesticides, solvents, fires, oil spills, implants, or other toxicants.
“Tobacco smoke can move through air ducts, wall and floor cracks, elevator shafts, and along crawl spaces to contaminate units on other floors, even those that are far from the smoke,” according to the American Cancer Society. “[Secondhand smoke] cannot be controlled with ventilation, air cleaning, or by separating smokers from non-smokers.”
Efforts to Reduce Smoking and Improve Indoor Air Quality
Miller is part of the “Mil Gracias for Not Smoking Indoors!” campaign from UT Health San Antonio.
The campaign encourages people to:
- email a “thank you” message to smokers who protect others by not smoking indoors;
- sign a letter to acknowledge the health consequences of secondhand smoke exposure;
- download an action pack to promote smoke-free multifamily housing in your city.
The campaign also features English and Spanish fact sheets and news about the impacts of secondhand smoke, and resources to help smokers quit if they are ready.
“There should be absolutely no smoking allowed in any multifamily dwelling, public or private,” Miller said. “Period.”
Find Out If You Have Chemical Intolerance Related to Indoor Smoke
How can you find out if you have chemical intolerance?
Answer these three questions from the TILT Program on Chemical Intolerance:
- Do you feel sick when you are exposed to tobacco smoke, certain fragrances, nail polish/remover, engine exhaust, gasoline, air fresheners, pesticides, paint/thinner, fresh tar/asphalt, cleaning supplies, new carpet or furnishings? By sick, we mean: headache, difficulty thinking, difficulty breathing, weakness, dizziness, upset stomach, etc.
- Are you unable to tolerate or do you have adverse or allergic reactions to any drugs or medications (such as antibiotics, anesthetics, pain relievers, X-ray contrast dye, vaccines or birth control pills), or to an implant, prosthesis, contraceptive chemical or device, or other medical/surgical/dental material or procedure?
- Are you unable to tolerate or do you have adverse reactions to any foods such as dairy products, wheat, corn, eggs, caffeine, alcoholic beverages, or food additives (e.g., MSG, food dye)?
If you answer YES to any question, take the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI) and share the results with your doctor!
Editor’s Note: Hat tip on identifying the article to Ian Cull, who curates the IAQ Research of the Month Newsletter.