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Some of the most formative years of childhood occur during the time children start reading. Picture books can engage your kids with pretty pictures and catchy rhymes while simultaneously teaching them valuable lessons that may carry through to the rest of their lives.

Climate change and air pollution both threaten human, environmental, and economic health across the globe, but the relationship between these two crises runs much deeper than initially meets the eye. Recent research has demonstrated a synergistic relationship between air pollution reduction and climate change mitigation. Predictive models of the economic benefits that come with environmental policy find that the co-benefits of improved air quality alone often justify the cost of climate change mitigation programs, even before the climate-related and other benefits of these policies are considered. This finding opens up an incredible opportunity to push for improved environmental policy and action against a rapidly changing climate, with air quality co-benefits providing the local, immediate, and measurable benefits that politicians need to make the business case for climate action.

Air pollution is an “invisible threat” that most people don’t consider in their day-to-day lives, yet it is an issue that affects people around the world in substantial ways. Air pollution can greatly impact the human respiratory system as well as the nervous system, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs, and it accounts for an estimated 7 million deaths per year. Environmental effects of poor air quality may manifest in ecosystem damage, reduction of crop yield, acid rain, and exacerbation of climate change through the release of pollutants like carbon dioxide.

Many individuals and the media tend to focus on air quality only when it becomes exceptionally poor, such as during wildfires, but the benefits of improved air quality can be reaped year-round. To further explore the vast impact that air quality has on human and environmental health, particularly coupled with the impacts of a changing climate, check out our blog on the relationship between air pollution and climate change. 

Here’s a riddle for you: What is so small that you can only see it from far away?

The answer, of course, is the particulate matter that makes up Beijing smog (or any city’s smog…it’s all pretty small). From a distance, the haze may look dense and thick, but when you’re actually close enough to breathe it, suddenly it’s gone. You can’t make any fine measurements just by looking. It’s not like counting apples in a basket.

We’re forced to make assumptions about the air we’re breathing based on how hazy and grey it looks outdoors, how scratchy our throat feels, or what our phone app says, but we can’t observe particulate matter directly—It’s too small!

The World Health Organization says asthma is the most chronic disease among children. When your child struggles to take a breath, we know you would do anything to take away their discomfort. Helping your asthmatic child live a normal life starts with managing their symptoms and proactively preventing them.

There are several asthma triggers that you can help minimize. It starts where your child likely spends the most time: in your home. Houses are full of allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and other pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency says the air in our homes and workplaces can be worse than the air in large industrialized cities. Investing in a home air quality monitor will help you understand, track, and improve the air. With the Laser Egg, you can create the cleanest air possible in your house.  

As with any contagious disease, many people are opting to keep their kids home from school or even stay home themselves to prevent exposure. In fact, in many parts of the U.S., schools have been sending students home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Restaurants and gyms have closed, and only essential businesses continue to operate. With everyone cooped up in the house, one invisible threat remains: poor indoor air quality.

When we think of air pollution, we often think of looming coal plant towers spilling thick black smoke into the air. We also visualize the exhaust from semi-trucks struggling to gain speed and the cloudy haze settled over highways. But most air pollution is invisible to the naked eye. It’s caused by man-made forces and from nature. It comes from gases, dust particles, smoke from fires, and volcanic ash. Poor air quality can worsen your child’s asthma symptoms. It can be the catalyst for breathing issues and hospital visits. Prepare, protect, and take precautions if you live in an area with unhealthy air.

91% of the world’s population live in cities and communities with unhealthy air. The situation in our homes can be even worse. The Environmental Protection Agency says the air quality in our homes is often more unhealthy than the air outside our window. The good news is you can take steps to improve the air quality in your home, and new research about the causes and effects of unhealthy air can help you make the best choices for your family.

Our home is meant to protect us from the outside. However, most people don’t realize that our homes don’t always protect us from air pollutants. In fact, they can be a source of many toxins and irritants. A combination of pollutants such as dust, dander, mold, smoke, and chemicals are round-the-clock air offenders in our homes.