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Breathe Easier With COPD: A Resource for Everyday Life
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Most people spend about 80 percent of their time in their homes, and your house should be your safe space. But if you’re inhaling indoor pollutants, you could make your chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms worse.
“Even secondhand smoke can trigger bronchitis for me,” one MyCOPDTeam member said. “Heck, I had to stop even going inside my parents’ house because of how many toxins were in the walls and fabrics.”
Read on to learn which indoor air pollutants can worsen your COPD symptoms and trigger flares. You’ll also discover the steps you can take to reduce indoor air pollution exposure at home.
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In people with COPD, the lungs have been damaged. This lung damage causes inflammation that makes it harder to breathe. Indoor air pollutants can make lung tissue inflammation worse.
Anything that worsens inflammation can make your COPD symptoms worse. It can also increase the chances of having a COPD flare-up, also called an exacerbation.
If your lungs are already impaired by COPD, even low levels of indoor pollutants can make breathing harder. You may not see these pollutants — they’re often microscopic. But they’re important to know about since they can affect your COPD symptoms.
People with COPD spend more time at home than other people their age. For that reason, managing pollutants in your home is essential for managing symptoms and reducing flares.
Several indoor pollutants can make your COPD symptoms worse or increase the risk of flares. Sometimes people know their indoor COPD triggers, while others may not.
“I’ve been getting sick from being inside this old dusty house all the time,” one MyCOPDTeam member shared.
Another wrote, “My husband can’t go into anyone’s house who has a dog or cat, including our own kids’ places. He’s extremely sensitive. I can’t use certain cleaning products or anything that comes out of an aerosol can.”
Below are several common pollutants that can make COPD symptoms and exacerbations worse.
Particulate matter (PM) is tiny particles of substances in the air. In some cases, the particles are so small that you can’t see them, but you can still breathe them in. The smallest version is called PM2.5.
PM2.5 is made up of very small pieces of dust, liquid droplets, smoke, soot, and other types of pollutants. It can be produced through everyday activities, like cooking, woodworking, or burning candles. It’s a combination of several types of pollutants, sometimes more than 100 different chemicals at the same time.
When someone holds a lit cigarette near you, or they breathe out cigarette smoke, you inhale some of that smoke. This is known as secondhand smoke. If you breathe it in, it can irritate your respiratory system.
Inhaling secondhand smoke can worsen your COPD. Secondhand smoke exposure is also linked to COPD flares.
Gas stoves and gas furnaces emit nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Breathing in NO2 can significantly worsen your COPD symptoms and the risk for flares. One study of people with COPD found that gas stoves were more problematic than gas heating in terms of NO2 exposure.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that are emitted as a gas from solid or liquid items. They’re used in thousands of household products, including household cleaners, paints, and cosmetics. VOCs are up to 10 times more concentrated indoors than they are outside.
Scented products with added fragrances emit more VOCs than unscented products.
Exposure to VOCs raises the risk of COPD flares and hospitalizations. This is often due to breathing these chemicals in.
Pollutants that originate from living organisms are called biological pollutants. Examples include mold spores, animal dander, viruses, house dust, pet dander, cockroaches, and pollen. Inhaling these contaminants may worsen COPD.
One study looked at people with COPD who were exposed to a wide range of allergens. The researchers found that allergen exposure led to a higher risk of COPD flares.
You may not be able to avoid being in your house, but you can reduce your exposure to indoor pollutants while you’re there. Experts recommend several strategies to help cut down on how many pollutants you’re exposed to.
Choose fragrance-free household and personal care products.
Use an air purifier with HEPA and carbon filters.
Use a dehumidifier to reduce mold and mildew.
If you use a product that emits a lot of pollutants, have good ventilation.
Ask people not to smoke around you, or in your car or home when you’re not around.
If you have a gas stove, install a vented hood or replace it with an electric stove.
Ensure that people don’t smoke around you, since secondhand smoke can make your COPD symptoms worse. Ask them not to smoke in your car or home, even if you aren’t there. This helps because secondhand smoke can linger in the air.
Some people choose to replace gas stoves with electric stoves and to replace wood stoves with other heating sources. It may also help to hire a pest control company to reduce biological pollutants. Consider using a dehumidifier to reduce humidity, which can help prevent mold and mildew from developing.
If you need to use a product that emits a lot of VOCs, for instance nail polish remover, paint thinner, or rubbing alcohol, make sure you have good ventilation.
When choosing household and personal care products, look for those that are marked fragrance-free to limit your exposure to VOCs. Some labels may be marked “low VOC” or “free from VOCs,” and these should be safer to choose.
Check labels carefully to see if they list “fragrance,” even if they’re unscented. Even products marked “green” or “eco-friendly” can still contain fragrances.
You can also look into improving the ventilation in your home. This will help dilute the volume of contaminants indoors. For instance, you could install a vented hood over a gas stove to route the pollutants outside.
It may also be helpful to install an air purifier in your home for better COPD symptom relief. One study found that air cleaners with HEPA and carbon filters reduced household PM2.5 by 61 percent and NO2 by 24 percent after six months. It also lowered the risk of moderate COPD exacerbations in former smokers who used the air cleaners.
“I bought a small air cleaner unit to help rid my house of pet dander,” one MyCOPDTeam member said. Another member replied, “I have a whole house dehumidifier. It seems to keep the air cleaner when the furnace is running and also helps in summer.”
When To Talk to Your Doctor About Indoor Air QualitySpeak to your pulmonologist if you notice signs indicating that indoor pollutants may be worsening your COPD symptoms. For instance, if your symptoms keep getting worse despite avoiding known outdoor COPD triggers. Or if you feel better when you leave your house, but you start coughing, wheezing, or experiencing shortness of breath when you come home.
Your pulmonology team can help you identify and address environmental triggers. They can also recommend different COPD treatments if your current treatment plan isn’t working well enough. Your healthcare providers might also recommend resources in the community that can assess your home for indoor pollutants and help you remove them from your home.
On MyCOPDTeam, people share their experiences with COPD, get advice, and find support from others who understand.
Do you notice poor indoor air quality affecting your respiratory health? Let others know in the comments below.
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Breathe Easier With COPD: A Resource for Everyday Life
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