Pollutionwatch: Study reveals indoor pollution’s impact on people with COPD

A study has revealed how air pollution inside and outside our homes is affecting people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Breathing problems, wheezing and coughing up phlegm are part of everyday life for many people with COPD. They also suffer exacerbations when their symptoms get much worse. COPD is the second largest cause of emergency hospital admissions in the UK. It accounts for about 1.4 million GP visits and nearly 29,000 deaths a year.

Prof Ben Barratt from Imperial College London, who led the study, said: “A strong body of evidence shows that worsening of outdoor air pollution is linked to increased exacerbations in people with COPD. However, very little was known about the role of air pollution within homes, where COPD patients spend most their time. We had new technology to start answering that question.”

Seventy-six people with COPD were given a device to measure the air pollution around them. This resembled a small bird nesting box with a faux-leather case that could be worn like a shoulder bag.

The team found that the concentration of nitrogen dioxide was related to the risk of an exacerbation. The risk of an exacerbation increased by more than 60% between the cleanest quarter of days and the most polluted quarter. It also affected coughing, wheezing and phlegm.

Outdoor sources of nitrogen dioxide included fossil gas boilers and traffic, especially diesel vehicles. Here, there is some good news. New vehicles sold today cause much less nitrogen dioxide than the ones that they replace, and schemes such as London’s ultra-low emission zone have accelerated the improvement. Electric vehicles emit none at all.

But it was the indoor sources that had greatest impact on the people with COPD. This was mainly fossil gas used for cooking.

Prof Alastair Lewis, from the University of York, said: “Burning hydrogen in your cooker will create the same household pollution as using fossil gas, so an electric hob is definitely better, and electric is probably better for the climate too.”

This adds to evidence from a review more than 10 years ago that considered 41 studies and concluded that gas cooking increased the risk of asthma in children.

Barratt said: “Take simple steps like ventilating your kitchen while cooking, not using candles and subscribing to air pollution alerts. If possible, choose an electric cooker over a gas one. Think of these actions as a form of medication to prevent worsening health.”