This past week has wreaked hell on my lungs. We had heat indexes of 100 degrees or higher. The air quality rating was RED! Either of these mean I stay in the house and just try not to breathe! OK - at least I can breathe.
My sarcoidosis has not remitted this past year. I am thinking it is now chronic?! It just goes back and forth from about 58% to 70% on my blood oxygen levels. I am still and forever on steroids, and I live in one of the worst areas of the country for anyone who has lungs and breathes the air!
According to the Maryland Department of the Environment:
A function that our bodies perform continuously and automatically is breathing. Healthy adult lungs take in about one pint of air 12 to 15 times each minute. Breathing supplies our bodies with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. Clean air is essential for human health and the environment. Air pollution has both acute and chronic effects on human health, damages vegetation, degrades water quality and impairs visibility.Wait - there's more!
The Baltimore metropolitan region and Cecil County are designated as severe ground level ozone "nonattainment areas" by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).AND:
Air pollution can impact our health over short periods of time or accumulate in our systems to pose chronic health concerns. When people have a short-term exposure to air pollutants above certain levels, they may experience temporary health concerns, such as eye irritation, throat irritation, and difficulty breathing. Exposure to air pollution may also trigger attacks of pre-existing lung conditions such as asthma. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause or aggravate chronic health concerns, such as cancer and damage to the body's immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems.
Need I say more?
