Guilford County Department of Public Health Specialists assessing home asthma hazard

July 16, 2002

Specialists assessing home asthma hazard

7-15-02

By DANIEL M. NONTE, Staff Writer

News & Record

The Guilford County Department of Public Health is helping asthmatic

children and their parents breathe a little easier.

Environmental health specialists will visit the homes of children with

asthma and help parents identify things that could trigger an asthma or

allergy attack.

Asthma, a chronic lung disease that makes breathing difficult, affects

almost 5 million children and adolescents, according to the federal Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention. The poor, minorities and residents of

inner cities have been particularly hard hit.

" We have seen a big increase in asthma in the last 10 years across the

United States, " said Alyson Best, a senior environmental health specialist

in Guilford County.

Doctors can provide a family with medication to treat a child's asthma, but

doctors don't visit homes to hunt for things that can trigger an allergy or

asthma attack.

The assessment takes about an hour, Best said. Health workers inspect the

home and talk to parents, using a six-page questionnaire to help identify

potential problems. Mold, dust mites, dirty pets, cigarette smoke or clothes

washed with a scented laundry detergent can all make vulnerable children

gasp for breath.

County health workers have performed about 75 environmental assessments in

the past 18 months, she said. They often recommend that a child's mattress

and pillow be enclosed in plastic cases available in department stores. Dogs

should be bathed frequently. Sheets should be washed in hot water once a

week. Laundry should be dried in a dryer rather than on an outdoor line,

where it can collect pollen and other allergens.

This year has been a difficult one for Triad residents with breathing

problems. A mild winter and a dry, early spring sent tree pollen levels

soaring in April. In June, ozone levels reached dangerous levels for three

consecutive days for the first time since 1999.

Contact M. Nonte at 373-7089 or dnonte@...

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