Blog
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RAMP CHW Meeting: Work-Related Asthma
On October 22nd, RAMP hosted a CHW meeting on Work-Related Asthma, presented by Jennifer Flattery, Chief, Occupational Health Tracking Unit, Occupational Respiratory Disease Surveillance Program, Work-related Asthma Prevention Program, California Department of Public Health. You can view the recording here. For more information, reach out to Anne Kelsey Lamb at anne@rampasthma.org.
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EPA Funds RAMP to Continue to Build and Sustain Home-Based Asthma Services
We’re pleased to share that RAMP and our partners at the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) will continue to offer free technical assistance (TA) and training to states and communities across the country to expand and sustain in-home environmental asthma interventions as part of a new 3-year Cooperative Agreement with the US Environmental Protection…
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Study on How Low-Cost Air Cleaners Can Meaningfully Improve Indoor Air Quality
Air cleaners can reduce indoor exposure to fine particulate matter during wildfire smoke events, but cost and availability often limit access to commercial devices or high-rated filters for DIY solutions. In August 2024, researchers developed and tested affordable DIY air cleaners using common household fabrics to address this issue. In the journal, Science and Technology…
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Literature Review Reveals the Effects of Climate and Environmental Factors on Childhood Asthma
In the August 2024 edition of the Science of the Total Environment, researchers report on a systematic literature review they conducted to assess the epidemiological evidence using spatial and temporal methods on the impact of climate and environmental factors on childhood asthma. The findings reveal that “extreme weather events, including heatwaves and heavy rainfall, elevate…
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EPA’s New and Improved Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality Website
The EPA recently shared its new Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality website where individuals can learn to protect themselves as well as their IAQ before, during, and after emergencies. This website shares information about wildfires, floods, power outages, extreme heat, winter weather, and more. People spend most of their time indoors and rely on indoor…
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The Dual Threat: Wildfire Smoke and Extreme Heat
The increased frequency and severity of recent wildfire smoke events has had a major impact on those with asthma, severely limiting their activities and increasing the risk of asthma exacerbations, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. In response, RAMP has created a range of tools to help support people with asthma prepare for and limit the…
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Pest Prevention and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
On September 24th, the California Healthy Housing Coalition’s IAQ Workgroup hosted a webinar on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Building off of last year’s introduction to pest infestations, this year’s webinar provided an in-depth look at pest prevention and integrated pest management (IPM). Dr. Andrew Sutherland from UC IPM provided an overview of IPM focusing on pest prevention strategies…
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AAFA Releases the 2024 Asthma Capitals Report
Asthma is greatly influenced by where someone lives. People who have affordable and accessible health care, clean air, and economic stability have a greater chance of managing and controlling their asthma. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s (AAFA) Asthma Capitals™ Report ranks the largest 100 cities in the continental US by how challenging they are…
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Study Details US Air Pollution Impacts from Warehousing
The July 2024, edition of Nature Communications includes a study, “Air pollution impacts from warehousing in the United States uncovered with satellite data,” highlighting the negative impacts of e-commerce and warehousing industries on air quality across the United States. In a comprehensive nationwide study examining traffic, associated air pollution, and environmental equity near warehouses in…
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HEI’s Newest Study on Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma Risk
In late 2024, the Health Effects Institute released, “Birth Cohort Studies of Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution in Early Life and Development of Asthma in Children and Adolescents from Denmark,” which examined children’s asthma in four Danish cohorts and focused on exposure to an array of air pollutants. The study results yielded an association…
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Updated AirNow Fire and Smoke Map Released by EPA and Forest Service
In September 2024, the US EPA and Forest Service updated their AirNow Fire and Smoke Map! Originally, the EPA and the Forest Service developed the Fire and Smoke Map to provide the public information on fire locations, smoke plumes, near real-time air quality, Smoke Outlooks for large US wildfires, and protective actions to take that…
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Tracking California Releases New Environmental Public Health Data System
Tracking California has released a new data tool that specifically allows you to search for environmental and health topics and interact with data in the form of maps, charts, time trends, and tables in California. When searching by the topic area of asthma, there is data on: The data can be separated by a multitude…