Summer Smog Spells Big Trouble for COPD

Being outdoors, especially in the red hot days of summer, is not the best place for people with COPD. Why? Because smog and COPD are like oil and vinegar, they just don't mix well together!

When you suffer from shortness of breath, any type of irritant can make it worse, including air pollution or smog. Photochemical smog, or summer smog for short, is a word used to describe air pollution that is caused by the interaction of sunlight with certain chemicals in the atmosphere.

According to the American Lung Association, air pollution and smog can cause permanent damage to our lungs and heart. Some of this damage presents itself in the form of COPD and asthma. The bottom line, smog is no good for us yet most of us are exposed to it on a daily basis. So, what can we do about it? To learn more about how summer smog makes breathing even harder for people with COPD and what you can do to avoid it, watch this informative video entitled COPD and Smog.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by heat this summer? Learn more about the effects of summer heat on COPD.

More questions about COPD? Why not join in the discussion in the COPD forum ?

Photo of "Smog" © flickr.com, user dieburg40