Shows
Air Health Our HealthInhaled Microplastics with the Lorax of the ThoraxWelcome to the last Air Health Our Health podcast of Season Five. This is a collaboration with the American Thoracic Society’s Breathe Easy podcast, of which I am a new host. We produce over 450 million tons of plastic each year, the majority of which accumulates in the environment- it is vital to understand how that impacts us. For today’s episode, I interview Dr Adam Soloff, PhD a researcher at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center of the University of Pittsburgh in the department of cardiothoracic surgery and immunology. He describes himself as the “Lorax of the Thorax”...2025-06-0227 min
Air Health Our HealthHot Jobs- Heat & Work with Maeve McMurdoSummer is coming, and with it rising temperatures. It is important to know how to stay safe in heat, and this is especially important for people who work outdoors. Today, I am joined by Dr. Maeve MacMurdo, an occupational and environmental pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic. We discuss how heat affects the body, how to recognize heat illness, and what we can do to help people stay safe in heat.Learn more about heat from episode “Heat Kills” with Ollie Jay and strategies for summer, including how to avoid overheating and not over cooling your home in a po...2025-05-0523 min
Air Health Our HealthFungus, Fire, and Fixes- an ER doc on Emergency Management & Infectious Risk in WildfiresNatural disasters such as wildfires can provoke a great deal of anxiety about immediate and long term risk, so I wanted to have someone on whose job it is to think only of the worst case scenarios and how we can navigate them. Nobody better for the job than an ER doctor! For this episode, I talk to Mary C. Meyer, MD MPH, an emergency medicine physician with The Permanente Medical Group and an expert in climate medicine who has served as director of disaster preparedness for Kaiser in Northern California as well as in global health...2025-04-0729 min
Air Health Our HealthBreaking States Free from Flavored Tobacco & Why it MattersIf you use healthcare or live on Planet Earth, you want a comprehensive ban on flavored tobacco products. This podcast is a helpful summary of all the issues wrapped up in flavored tobacco, e-cigarettes and the human, environmental and economic damages of the tobacco industry. Statewide and comprehensive flavored tobacco bans that include menthol, cigars, e-cigarettes and more are simple and potent steps we can all take in our states to protect our kids and environment. Rather than having to listen to 5 different podcasts to get up to speed, this one will catch you up on all the major...2025-03-0322 min
Air Health Our HealthBypass Toxic Politics- Dr Gerber on Local and State Action for Healthy Air and CommunitiesDr Anthony Gerber is a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at National Jewish Health, where he conducts research on lung disease. He is also a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and National Jewish and has has served on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission. He provides insight into actions we can take in our own communities.
Look up who represents you at your city, county and state level
Find out how air is regulated in your state and what the most local unit to you is. Reach out to find out...2025-02-0327 min
Air Health Our HealthTomatoes & Fruit Salad- Knowledge & Wisdom for 2025Happy New Year from Air Health Our Health! I share a brief reflection on the difference between knowledge and wisdom as well as how to move forward in 2025.
To Do-
Pick an area for clean air, climate or tobacco action in the next year
Flavored e-cigs, Tobacco Pollution & More? Listen to Sierra Club episodes, Season Three episodes w/ Dr. Jaspers and Dr. Jordt, and Season Two Heartbreaking Trap episode and more!
Find out whether old diesel school engines have been cleaned up, and if not, advocate for that in your area. L...2025-01-0606 min
Air Health Our HealthFaith in (Climate) Action- a Creation Care PerspectiveHappy Holidays! Today I am joined by Katie Zakrzewski, who labels herself as a devout Catholic from a Polish family. Originally a self- described climate denier from a low-income and rural area, she has gone on quite the journey and now works for Catholic Climate Covenant. This season of Advent seemed the perfect time to release a conversation with her.
Over 80% of the people on this planet adhere to a religious or spiritual tradition which often also includes belief in the importance of caring for the world around them. Many people of faith find no conflict between t...2024-12-0228 min
Air Health Our HealthAir Health Our Health Live! Climate Change & Your Career with Dr. Mary RiceThis episode may sound different than your regular Air Health Our Health podcast. It is the first episode recorded with a live audience. This was done at the American College of Chest Physicians Conference, also known as Chest.
I was delighted to be able to interview Dr. Mary Rice MD, MPH of Harvard University, a person who has incorporated combatting the effects of climate change deeply into her career as a physician and scientist.
We cover a great deal in this episode, from how to get started in your wo...2024-11-0452 min
Air Health Our HealthBurn Pits and their Aftermath- with Captain Le Roy Torres & Rosie TorresI first heard about burn pits from veterans when I was a pulmonary fellow at the Portland, VA. Our active duty military are often exposed to hazards when deployed, and the damage can be lifelong. Today I am joined by Captain Le Roy Torres and his wife Rosie Torres, the founders of of Burn Pits 360. They share their experience and journey through its ups and downs, from Balad, Iraq to the emergency room to the operating room to camping on the steps of the Capitol with Jon Stewart.
What Can You Do?
Look up your S...2024-10-0738 min
Air Health Our HealthTeens Talk Tobacco- Schools, Social Media & MoreWe are going back to school! We kick off Season Five today by talking to teens about tobacco pollution, smoking and e-cig use. Keshav Narang is an 18 y.o. High school senior and Finn Ceja is a 19 year old college student. They both join me today as youth advisors to the Environmental Justice in Tobacco Control Project of the Sierra Club. Their generation cares passionately about the health of their peers as well as environmental justice. To be blunt, this pod gave me hope that the kids are all right. Listen and learn!
To D...2024-09-0235 min
Air Health Our HealthClimate Change, Microplastics & Fires- the EcoToll of Tobacco with the Sierra ClubTobacco control and climate advocacy collide in today’s episode, just as we are all getting ready to head into summer fun in the Great Outdoors! Sadly, the tobacco industry is spoiling our summer fun in many ways. Today I am joined by Amanda Simpson , who is a policy analyst with the Environmental Justice in Tobacco Control Project of the Sierra Club to help us understand the issue. From causing wildfires to worsening climate change to microplastics in our waters, on today’s episode you will learn what is happening and what you can do!
To Do:
2024-05-3126 min
Air Health Our HealthYour Little Grain of Sand with EcoMadre Ylenia AguilarOn today’s podcast, I am joined by Ylenia Aguilar of Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres to share her own story from undocumented immigrant to tireless advocate for clean air and climate action. She shares important approaches to accepting our own imperfections, navigating important work while we are busy, and the joy we can all feel by adding our own “granito de arena” or grain of sand to tip the scale for a better climate future.
1- If you’re inspired to get involved, listen to the “Clean Air and Climate Advocacy for Busy People” episode from earlier this season...2024-05-0635 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Nose Knows- Understanding VOCs with Dr. Delphine FarmerTurns out that Spring Cleaning can be pretty powerful- it can help or harm us. I often struggle to understand volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Plenty of products are marketed as "low VOC"- is that better?
To learn more about how these chemicals interact in our homes, I interviewed Dr. Delphine Farmer , a Professor of Chemistry at Colorado State University. She is an atmospheric chemist who studies the air we breathe both indoors and outdoors. Her work has included projects such as the House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) study, which was a collaborative...2024-04-0130 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Killer in the Kitchen Counter- Silica with Dr. Jeremy HuaDr Jeremy T. Hua MD, MPH is a lung doctor at National Jewish Health in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. He specializes in patients who get sick from where they work and how we can help keep them healthy.
Today we discuss crystalline silica and the booming lung disease caused by inhaling it. Many of the workplaces are smaller, and employers may be unaware of the risk to employees or be put at a competitive disadvantage if they do address the risk and wider standards are not in place to protect all workers. However, t...2024-03-0424 min
Air Health Our HealthBonus episode! Good news for clean air!This is a special bonus episode to bring you some good clean air and climate news. Advocacy is often hard and frustrating, but it is important to celebrate when improvement is made. On February 7th, 2024, the EPA released it’s final rule for the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (or NAAQS) for particulate matter pollution, lowering the annual standard to 9 ug/m3. The previous standard was 12ug/m3. If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you know that we’ve covered in multiple episodes how people were sickening and dying from lung disease, heart disease and more at levels...2024-02-0832 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Cost of Coal & Importance of Advocacy- Black Lung Disease with Dr. Drew HarrisDr. Drew Harris, MD, FCCP is a lung doctor who specializes in lung disease related to coal mine dust and is passionate about healthcare for rural and disadvantaged populations. He serves as the medical director of the Black Lung Program at Stone Mountain Health Services in southwest Virginia. He joins me today to discuss the black lung crisis in Central Appalachia, where over 1000 people have been diagnosed recently with progressive massive fibrosis, the most feared form of black lung disease. We discuss today what causes this completely preventable disease, how we can prevent it, and what makes for effective...2024-02-0535 min
Air Health Our HealthRing in New Year with Radon ActionHappy 2024!
Today's episode is a brief one to wish you Happy New Year and to highlight the important issue of radon. You may or may not know if you have been listening to this podcast that January is Radon Action Month. It is important to understand the risk of radon in your home, school and workplace and at a minimum to make sure that your home has been tested if appropriate.
To Do:
- Ensure your home is tested for radon– test every 2-5 years if you have not mitigated radon and after home upgrades. More information here...2024-01-0105 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Health of your Air- with Dr. Laura GladsonHow do we find out how air pollution is affecting us at our own county and state level? Dr. Laura Gladson has been a researcher with the Health, Environment, and Policy Program at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management since 2014. On this podcast, we discuss the Health of the Air report, which shows how many people are affected in each state and county by air pollution in excess of recommended ATS standards. We also discuss separating out the toll of wildfire smoke exposure and how it affects communities, and what can be done to decrease the toll.
2023-12-0429 min
Air Health Our HealthClean Air & Climate Advocacy for Busy PeopleMost of us have very full busy lives and multiple competing obligations. I've struggled to fit advocacy into my life. In this episode, I share some ways I have found that work for me.
It includes the following:
- Climate Change and Air Pollution 101
- How to engage in advocacy in the community you already have
- Start by starting
- Whatever you can do is enough
Advocacy is an individual journey- bring your whole self to it and also remember to put your own oxygen mask...2023-11-0639 min
Air Health Our HealthHeat Kills- Hot Air Dangers & Solutions with Prof Ollie JayI was working ICU in June of 2021 during the heat dome in Oregon. Temperatures spiked to 116 degrees, which led to severe critical illness and death in our community. How does heat kill so quickly? What can we do to prevent it? For this episode, I am joined by Professor Ollie Jay. He is the Director of the Heat and Health Research Incubator and Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney in Australia. He studies extreme heat, and what we can do for ourselves, our homes, and our communities to keep people...2023-10-0241 min
Air Health Our HealthExercise & Air Quality for Kids & Schools- with Dr. Lowinsky-DesirKicking off Season Four with a great episode! As the parent of three kids and a lung doctor, I always wonder how best to balance exercise benefits when air quality is marginal. Fortunately, there are experts hard at work on understanding how we should approach this topic.
Dr. Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir is chief of the pediatric pulmonary division at Columbia University and cares for patients and conducts research in the Department of Pediatrics and the Dept Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. Her multidisciplinary, award-winning, and collaborative research is focused on understanding how environmental...2023-09-0426 min
Air Health Our HealthBonus- Air Quality & Transportation with Healthy Living Healthy Planet RadioToday's episode is a bonus episode. I was a guest on the Healthy Living Health Planet Radio show over the summer with host Bernice Butler and Professor Frank Kelly of Imperial College London, who is an air pollution expert.
I think this is a very helpful episode because it does break down the basics of air pollution from a variety of sources and how they impact our health. I hope you enjoy it.
If you're interested, you can subscribe to the Healthy Living Healthy Planet Radio podcast or YouTube channel as well. 2023-08-2150 minAir Health Our HealthSeason Three Finale- Distance Traveled and Future DirectionsThis episode wraps up the third season of the podcast.
- Please e-mail me over the summer at airhealthourhealth@gmail.com to let me know what you want to hear in future episodes!
- Listen to previous episodes, and over the summer, commit to trying one action from any of the prior episode show notes to work towards cleaner air in your community!
- Share the podcast with a friend or family member, and rate it on your podcasting software so others can find it!
- Enjoy your summer, and I'll...2023-06-0505 min
Air Health Our HealthHidden in Plain Sight- Red-Lining, Race & Lung Function with Dr. Neeta ThakurDr. Neeta Thakur is a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of California San Francisco, where she serves as the Medical Director of the San Francisco General Hospital Chest Clinic, and studies how social and environmental stress negatively affect people suffering from asthma and COPD. She is working hard to help us understand the history of race adjustment in lung function testing and what we should do going forward to provide better health for all.
To Do:
1- To learn more about the history of air pollution’s impact on heal...2023-05-0140 min
Air Health Our HealthNot Kool- Menthol and Lung Numbing w/ Prof. Sven JordtSo many people begin their cigarette or e-cigarette addiction by using mint flavors such as menthol. Why is this? What does it do? To answer that question on the pod today, I talk to Dr. Sven Jordt PhD, who is a scientist at Duke who studies menthol and shares his own journey with cigarette addiction and empathizes with the difficulty of quitting. He also is a member of the Tobacco Action Committee of the American Thoracic Society.
Menthol numbs the lungs to let you inhale more toxins and not realize how irritating the chemicals you are inhaling...2023-04-0341 min
Air Health Our HealthSpring Break- An Air Health Our Health TourToday on the podcast, I provide a bit of the history of the Air Health Our Health podcast, why I started it, and what ties it all together. I hope you can use this as a guide to catch up on topics of interest, find podcasts that may be of use to you, and pick an action item or two to make the air in your community cleaner.
FYI- the episode art is part of a selfie my sister sent me while wearing an Air Health Our Health T-shirt while her town was blanketed in unhealthy air...2023-03-0612 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Route Makes the Poison- Inhaling Flavors with Prof. Ilona JaspersWe think that if a flavor is safe to eat, it is safe to inhale. This is sadly not true, but many e-cigarette users, especially kids, think that if something is fruity-flavored and being sold to them, it must be safe. It is often not.
Join me in this podcast episode to hear from Professor Ilona Jaspers, PHD, of the departments of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology, environmental sciences and engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the director there for the curriculum in toxicology and environmental medicine. She studies a host...2023-02-0630 min
Air Health Our HealthMoney & Lives- the True Cost of Ozone with Dr. Nicholas NassikasOzone is a highly reactive gas and forms a significant portion of the air pollution that affects all of us. For this episode, I was joined by Dr. Nicholas Nassikas of Harvard University to discuss the links between ozone and health, as well as to review the staggering amount of money we are spending in terms of the health toll of air pollution. We are spending more on the health toll of air pollution now than the cost of transitioning off of fossil fuels to help decrease the pollution we all breathe. Listen and learn!
What can y...2023-01-0224 min
Air Health Our HealthWhat’s Burning? Pollution Sources and Lung Scarring with Dr. Gillian GoobieI was fortunate to speak with Dr. Gillian Goobie of the Center for Heart Lung Innovation at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver as well as the Division of Respiratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia. She is the lead author on a groundbreaking paper exploring the risk of death from exposure to air pollution as well as the source of the pollution, and how it changes the risk to those breathing it. We talk about everything from the different pollution sources in more industrially exposed areas to pollution sources in areas affected by wildfire, what to do wi...2022-12-0530 min
Air Health Our HealthFighting Fire with Fire- Prescribed Burns & Protecting your Home with Bodie ShawCan we fight fire with fire? The American Lung Association has released a report suggesting that this is a healthy way forward, and our Native communities have used ceremonial burns on our lands for generations. I wanted to talk to someone who lives at the intersection of all of this.
For this episode, I was honored to be joined by Bodie Shaw. He is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, and previously served as the national wildland fire director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and has worked as the acting C...2022-11-0728 min
Air Health Our HealthYards on Fire- Gas Powered Lawn Equipment & Health- with Dr. Krane and Dr. AxelrodThe loud drone of gas powered lawn equipment is often part of the background noise in any community, but what do these machines cost us in terms of our health, the health of our children, and especially, the health of those who use these machines professionally? It turns out, they cost us a great deal.
Today I am joined by two doctors for children to talk about the impact of these machines in terms of their noise, emissions, and more. Dr. Elliot Krane, MD joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1994 as the Chief of Pediatric Anesthesiology an...2022-10-0333 min
Air Health Our Health#DoTheVapeTalk- Back2School- Talking to Kids about VapingWelcome to Season Three of the Air Health Our Health podcast! It is back to school season, and across the country, kids will be exposed to vaping and e-cigarette devices from their peers. About 1-2 kids per middle school class and around 5 kids per high school classroom will be using e-cigarettes. These devices can look like pens, USBs and more, so you want your kid to be prepared when they encounter these in the classroom or in the school yard or on the bus.
The American Lung Association has released a very helpful guide on how to...2022-09-0516 min
Air Health Our HealthSeason Two Finale- Reflections from Camp COVIDI had a few weeks set aside in May to record and wrap up some final podcasts for the season, but COVID 19 had other plans. I instead became the head counselor at “Camp COVID” for my three rambunctious children who rapidly bounced back from their infections with no respect for the time their mother might need to finally taste her coffee again.
Enjoy the end of the season thoughts, and will see you next Fall with more Air Health Our Health!
To Do over the Summer:
Catch up on any podcasts you missed from the...2022-06-0607 min
Air Health Our HealthA County vs Big Tobacco- Fighting Flavors and Defending KidsI know we have talked about how Big Tobacco fights flavoring bans at the local level, and today on the podcast, we talk about a county trying to fight back against flavored tobacco. Flavors are designed to hook new users to nicotine products. On this episode, I am joined by Carrie Nyssen of the American Lung Association, who describes the current battle for the health of kids that is on the May ballot in Washington County. Dr. Lisa Reynolds has practiced pediatrics for over 20 years in Washington County, serves in the OR legislature, and shares her perspective. Dr. Maxine...2022-04-2529 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Fire Inside- Gas Stoves, NO2 & Health with Dr. Laura PaulinThose of you who listen to this podcast know that my main slogan is “Don’t light things on fire and breathe them into your lungs.” But what about when we cook with fire with gas stoves? Today I am joined by Dr. Laura Paulin MD, MHS of Dartmouth College who researches this very topic. She has studied the impact of indoor air quality in homes and studying home interventions aimed at decreasing indoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations. She has studied indoor particulate matter and NO2 exposures and asthma outcomes as well as their impact on others with lung disease and pr...2022-03-2828 min
Air Health Our HealthWhat’s in an Index? The AQI and Kids with Dr. RosserDr Franziska J. Rosser is a lung doctor for children at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and an asthma researcher. She has studied the impact of the Air Quality Index on hospitalization of children. Many doctors concerned about air quality struggle with how to balance advice to get outside and exercise with concern about ensuring we don’t overdose ourselves or our families on pollution, which we often cannot see or smell. If you have struggled with this, this is the episode for you! We discuss honestly what is known and what is unknown about the AQI, and how to...2022-03-0739 min
Air Health Our HealthWhat's in a Standard? PM2.5 & Our Health with Dr. Dan CostaOn this podcast, I talk to Dr. Dan Costa, who has his doctorate in toxicology and occupational health toxicology and occupational health. He has worked for the Department of Energy in the Brookhaven National Laboratory conducting research on the impact of fossil fuel related air pollutants on the lung and heart. He also served at the Environmental Protection Agency for over 34 years, conducting research on health science to inform critical policy questions. For his last 12 years at the EPA, he was the National Program Director for research on air, climate and energy issues. Today we talk about PM2.5, the...2022-02-1428 min
Air Health Our HealthRadón, cáncer, tu hogar y la salud pública con Mateo OlmosEnero es el Mes de Acción del Radón y hoy explico qué es el radón y como puede quedar atrapado en los edificios y aumentar a niveles insalubres. Como médico de pulmón que atiende a pacientes con cáncer de pulmón, definitivamente he visto que no preguntamos lo suficiente sobre la exposición al radón en los hogares, especialmente si alguien alquila una casa y no la posee. ¿Cómo aumentamos la conciencia sobre el radón y reducimos los riesgos en la población? La salud pública es muy importante. Así que para este...2022-01-2411 min
Air Health Our HealthRaising Radon Awareness with Public Health Education- featuring Dr. Karen Elliot & Mateo OlmosJanuary is Radon Action Month. By the time someone meets me in the clinic with a lung cancer, it is too late for the intervention that should have taken place years before. How do we increase awareness about radon and reduce the risks in the population? This is exactly where the field of public health is so important, so for this Radon Action Month, I wanted to highlight two individuals in the public health pipeline- a teacher and student of public health. I am joined by Dr. Karen Elliott of Oregon State University as well as Mateo Olmos, one...2022-01-1020 min
Air Health Our HealthA Connected COVID ChristmasIn this episode, I share my thoughts about COVID while we are in the season of Advent, a time to look for hope in the darkness. I also provide some resources on what to consider for your holiday gatherings.
Happy Holidays! Will be back in 2022!
To Do:
1- Encourage loved ones to be vaccinated. For more on the science behind vaccines, listen to Episode 3 with Dr. Gigi Gronvall. For more on how to have those conversations, listen to Episode 4 with Destiny Aman and a behavioral science perspective.
2- Think about the 4...2021-12-2006 min
Air Health Our HealthClearing the Air about Ionizers, Hydrogen Peroxide & More- the 4 D's of Safer Air with Ken MartinezToday, I am delighted to be joined by Ken Martinez, who is a certified Industrial Hygienist and Environmental Engineer with a long and illustrious career in biosecurity and research. His career has spanned over 33 year with the CDC, responding to crises such as the first SARS1 outbreak in Toronto, responding to the World Trade Center collapse, working on anthrax, multi-drug resistant TB and more. He shares what we have learned from responding to previous biological threats and pandemics, and how we can apply them now.
We talk today about the “4 Ds” of keeping air safe- Density, Distance, Dura...2021-12-0646 min
Air Health Our HealthA Heartbreaking Trap - Menthol, Flavors and our Kids with Ritney CastineRitney Castine joins me today to talk kids, tobacco, and flavors, and also about the time he had to lobby a smoking Senator and future President! He is the former Managing Director of Community and Youth Engagement at Truth Initiative, a Washington, DC-based public health organization and also the former Director of Youth Advocacy at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He currently works with Center for Black Health and Equity, and is a fellow podcaster as a cohost of the Black Body Health podcast. He is the youth pastor at Trinity Church in Gonzales, LA, and we dive into...2021-11-2238 min
Air Health Our HealthAsthma, obesity, and air pollution with Dr. HolguinToday I am joined by Dr. Fernando Holguin, the Director of the Clinical and Research Asthma Program and the Executive Director of the Colorado School of Public Health’s Latino Research and Policy Center. We discuss the interaction of asthma, obesity and air pollution today, with a particular focus on how it impacts Latino communities in the United States. Patients with asthma who are obese often struggle to get a diagnosis since their trouble breathing is attributed to their weight. Once people are obese, asthma in some can be more challenging to control, and their body may also be mo...2021-11-0817 min
Air Health Our HealthAsma, obesidad, y contaminación del aire en las comunidades latinas con Dr HolguinHoy me acompaña el Dr. Fernando Holguin. Discutimos la interacción del asma, la obesidad y la contaminación del aire en la actualidad, con un enfoque particular en cómo impacta a las comunidades latinas en los Estados Unidos. ¡También discutimos lo que se puede hacer a nivel individual y comunitario para mejorar nuestra salud!
Que hacer
1- Disminuir los alimentos procesados en la dieta, agregar más verduras, frutas y granos integrales a la dieta.
2- Si usted o alguien de su familia tose regularmente o tiene dificultad para respirar...2021-10-2524 min
Air Health Our HealthCrossing the COVID Vax Divide: how to have more effective vaccination conversations using behavioral scienceYou may remember Destiny Aman from the recent episode on the science of vaccines. She’s back to talk about having these conversations from the behavioral science side of things. Destiny Aman runs JPoint Collaborative and has a background in behavioral science working as a risk communication expert and has over 20 years of helping translate science into practical solutions adapting to environmental risks, including in work that has supported FEMA and the CDC. She’s here today to share more about how people think about risk, mistrust of science, and how to reach out about vaccines while maintaining relationships with...2021-10-1146 min
Air Health Our HealthCOVID19 Vaccines- Questions & Communication with Dr. Gigi Gronvall and Destiny AmanToday I am releasing the first of two podcasts about COVID19 vaccination on the day before World Lung Day 2021. I talk to two experts in their fields, Dr. Gigi Gronvall PhD and Destiny Aman. Dr. Gronvall studies the immune system and is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and on the editorial board of the journal Health Security. She is a biosecurity and bioterrorism expert and has served as a member of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee providing the Secretary of Defense with independent advice and recommendations on reducing risk to the United States, it...2021-09-241h 00
Air Health Our HealthOur Health in Wildfire SeasonToday, I’m providing a summary of the health effects of wildfire smoke. I recorded a webinar in June 2021 on the health effects of wildfire smoke that is available in English and Spanish. I’m providing an expanded podcast version of that summary here today. Topics covered include: What we know and don’t know, vulnerable/sensitive groups, short and long term effects of wildfire smoke and individual characteristics that affect this risk, respirator use, what to do before, during, and after smoke events.
In this episode, I reference the ATS standard of 11ug/m3 for PM2.5 exposu...2021-09-2027 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Air Kids Share- Schools, Filters, & COVID19 with Dr. OlsiewskiBack to school with Season Two of Air Health Our Health! I am joined by Dr Paula Olsiewski of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, where she is a pioneering leader in policy and scientific research programs in the microbiology and chemistry of indoor environments. She spent two decades at the Alfred P Sloane foundation leading innovative and multidisciplinary programs partnering with academic, governmental and for-profit stakeholders understanding the chemistry of indoor environments and the microbiology of the built environment. She is recognized as a leading expert in biosecurity and is a member of the Council on Foreign...2021-09-0145 min
Air Health Our HealthSeason One Finale- A look back and planning aheadWhat a year! Thanks to all of you who have been listening to the Air Health Our Health podcast. In this episode, I share my thoughts on what it has been like to live and work as an ICU and lung doctor this year during COVID19, worry about three young children, and ask your input on thinking ahead to Season Two!
To Do
1- Catch up on episodes you missed and please like the podcast, leave a review and share with family and friends to spread the word about the importance of clean air. Consider...2021-05-1709 min
Air Health Our HealthAshia, Albina and Asthma- an individual story and a neighborhood historyToday I am joined by Ashia Allen, whom I first met when she was critically-ill at Emanuel Hospital with severe asthma. She shares her story growing up in Albina near freeways and construction and what it was like to live with asthma. Ben Duncan joins me as well to discuss the history of working on air pollution concerns in Albina, a formerly red-lined district and the historic heart of the black community. Their stories are powerful reminders of why working to clean up air pollution is so important, and why the cost of inaction is high.
Things...2021-05-0345 min
WISH Well Podcast: Women's Integrative Summit on Health & Wellness68 - Air Health with Dr. Erika Maria MosesonOn this week's episode I chat with Dr. Erika Maria Moseson, a lung and ICU doctor in Oregon. Her phrase for health and wellness is air health. She says don't light things on fire and breathe them into your lungs. This applies to tobacco, diesel, forests and more. She shares how as a lung and ICU doctor she realized how many patients she saw in the critical care setting due to people breathing in unhealthy air. She discussed how that is compounded by economic instability and racial inequities. We chat about vaping, the tobacco industry, wildfires, diesel and more. Her...2021-04-2934 min
Air Health Our HealthLas cucarachas y las carreteras- riesgos del asma en las comunidades latinas con Dr. Juan CeledónHoy hablo con el Dr. Juan Celedón, profesor de pediatría, medicina, epidemiología y genética humana y Jefe de División de Medicina Pulmonar Pediátrica en Universidad de Pittsburgh y el primer presidente latino de la American Thoracic Society, sobre el asma en la comunidad hispana de EE. UU. Exploramos cómo el aire que respiramos puede afectar nuestro riesgo y el riesgo de nuestros hijos. Escuche para aprender sobre la importancia del aire saludable en el exterior y cómo la exposición al aire en interiores puede afectar a las personas con asma y aumentar...2021-04-1938 min
Air Health Our HealthTree-lined vs Redlined- Trees, Air Pollution & Asthma with Dr. Vivek ShandasDr. Vivek Shandas is a Professor of Climate Adaptation and Founder and Director of the Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab at Portland State University and serves as Chair of the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission in addition to other local and national advisory boards. He joins me on the podcast today to discuss his research on everything from trees in human communities, nitrogen dioxide exposure, economic benefit of green spaces and environmental services, as well as the impact of redlining in real estate and development and its impact on health now.
Which trees are best at...2021-04-0545 min
Air Health Our HealthAgentes de limpieza, bronquitis crónica y salud latina con Dr. DíazBienvenido/a al primer podcast de "Air Health Our Health" en español.
El Dr. Alejandro Díaz es profesor asistente de medicina en la Escuela de Medicina de Harvard, donde enseña español médico, y médico científico que estudia imágenes pulmonares en el Brigham and Women’s Hospital. También estudia la salud respiratoria de la comunidad hispana / latina y le apasiona comprender mejor los desafíos de salud que enfrentan sus miembros.
Que puede hacer Usted?
- Ten cuidado al usar agentes limpiadores. Asegúrese de que la habitación...2021-03-2232 min
Air Health Our HealthSmoking and your Wallet - Retirement vs TobaccoIn a first on the podcast, we are joined by an analyst from Wallet Hub, a financial literacy website. Jill Gonzalez normally appears on venues such as Fox Business Network, the Wall Street Journal Live, C-Span, and Fortune. Today she joins me to talk about WalletHub's analysis - The True Cost of Smoking. Listen and learn to find out how much smoking costs the individual over a lifetime, and all the different ways it can impact one's finances.
To Do:
1- Find out what grade your state gets for tobacco control with this tool from t...2021-03-0812 min
Air Health Our HealthCleaning Agents, Chronic Bronchitis, and Latino Lung Health with Alejandro DiazDr. Alejandro Diaz of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital joins me today to talk about chronic bronchitis and challenges facing the US Hispanic Community, as well as the health effects of cleaning agent exposure.
To Do:
1- Support more research on health in Hispanic community- one such study is going on in COVID19 in Yakima WA now, funded by the ALA. There is still time to donate to our ALA fundraiser here (before Mar 14, 2021) or here (after March 14, 2021).
2- Donate to the Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund- help those wh...2021-02-2228 min
Air Health Our HealthA Teen Talks Vaping- A County-Level Look with Gabriella Shirtcliff and Karen ArdToday on the podcast, I am joined by Gabriella Shirtcliff, who is a junior in high school and shares her experience about e-cigarettes and vaping among her peers. Karen Ard works in public health in the Deschutes County and works with Gabriella to address teen tobacco use. This episode is vital for all of us, but especially parents and educators concerned about Big Tobacco’s grip on a new generation. It also, as a bonus, gives me hope if there are as many great teens as Gabriella out there fighting for their futures.
Action Items:
1...2021-02-0822 min
Air Health Our HealthHome Inspector on Radon- with Will GraffToday I am joined by Will Graff. Will is a home inspector who is passionate about healthy, energy efficient, and sustainable homes. He is also a strong advocate for radon-testing, which is what he is here to talk about today. Radon is personal for him, and has affected his family in a devastating way. Today, he shares his radon story, and why he urges testing. See more about Will’s story here. This podcast is originally posted in January during National Radon Action Month. Make sure you take action!
Things You Can Do
Ensure your home is...2021-01-2523 min
Air Health Our HealthRadon Science with Prof Bill FieldWhat do we know and how do we know it? To answer questions such as “What causes cancer?” we need the science of epidemiology. There is a lot of pseudoscience out there as well as well-meaning but poorly-designed studies that throw confusion on an issue. To get to the bottom of radon science, I talk today to Professor Bill Field, who is an epidemiologist and radon expert. We talk about the history of radon discoveries, how good studies are designed, as well as his own history with radiation exposure.
Things You Can Do
Ensure your home is te...2021-01-1128 min
Air Health Our HealthA Cozy COVID Christmas- Joy and Safety in the HolidaysToday's brief podcast is a reflection on the gifts of hope in the current darkness. I share my perspective as an ICU doctor seeing the toll of COVID19, and how I find joy in the midst of sorrow. We touch on what the science has shown us about indoor spread, and I share a couple strategies I have used to maintain contact with family and loved ones safely.
This is the last podcast of 2020. Thank you to those who have begun listening this year. Will see you after the holidays in 2021.
Things you can do:
2020-12-1408 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Two Pandemics- COVID19 & Air Pollution with Dr. Thomas MuenzelI am a lung doctor who cares for patients in the clinic and ICU when they are sickened from diseases caused or worsened by air pollution. However, air pollution is actually even more damaging to the heart and blood vessels of the body, as my podcast guest Dr. Thomas Muenzel today knows too well. He is a heart doctor who can help intervene to open up arteries on patients who are suffering from blockages that cause heart attacks and other damage. For both of us, having a patient come to need our intervention already indicates that person is very...2020-11-3030 min
Doctor Anna, MD29. What You can Do to Prevent Toxic Air Pollution From Affecting Your Health and Protect Your Immune System with Dr. Erika Moseson, MD of Air Health Our HealthCombustion particles -- think exhaust, smoke particles, anything that gets set on fire and its aftermath-- Increases risk and may worsen chronic disease!! No wonder why people feel sick after sucking in diesel fuel and living near wildfires that plagued certain states this 2020. Think worse outcomes for heart disease, asthma, migraines, and even more susceptibility to the damage of Coronavirus (COVID-19). We discuss this all on the episode! The science and expansion of electric/hybrid cars and renewable energy to protect our health! When spending time outdoors and walking to sc...2020-11-2359 min
Air Health Our HealthWhat Lingers when Smoke Clears- Longterm effects of wildfire smoke with Prof MigliaccioI am joined today by Professor Christopher Migliaccio, who is a researcher and professor at the University of Montana Center for Environmental Health Sciences. He studies the way the immune system of the lung interacts with environmental exposures. He has studied the impact of wildfire smoke on our health and published a study that is useful to understanding the potential impact of short term, high levels of exposure. We discuss the impact of the heavy smoke that affected Seeley Lakes, Montana in 2017 and what the long-term effect on that community was. We discuss influenza rates in the year following...2020-11-1634 min
Air Health Our HealthPregnancy, Planes & Pollution with Dr. Beate RitzDr. Beate Ritz, MD, PhD became interested in air pollution and its effects on pregnancy when she was pregnant herself. She has a wide-ranging career, but over the last several decades has helped us understand more about the impacts of every day transportation-related air pollution on pregnant women and their children. Listen and learn! As always, for links to the studies, please be sure to visit the website. Professor Ritz also contributed to this video for a summary of pollution effects on newborns.
What can you do?
1- Be considerate about flying. Save money and...2020-11-0231 min
Air Health Our HealthRoad to Clean Air- Health Benefits of Electric Vehicles with Will BarretWhat would happen in terms of our health and wealth if we started only purcashing electric vehicles by the year 2030? Today on the podcast I talk to Will Barrett of the American Lung Association about the new analysis the ALA has commissioned called the Road to Clean Air. We recorded this with sky high levels of PM2.5 outside due to wildfires worsened by climate change, and it was an analysis that gave me some hope on the dual benefits of addressing climate change and decreasing particulate matter. Furthermore, Will is hopeful that we can actually achieve these goals. Listen...2020-10-1931 min
Air Health Our HealthAfraid of COVID19? Stop smoking! Tobacco & COVID19 with Dr. Farzad MoazedJoin for a conversation with Dr. Farzad Moazed, MD, who has studied the impacts of tobacco on the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is the dreaded fulminant respiratory failure that can be seen from severe viral illnesses like influenza and COVID19. Listen and learn!
What Can you Do?
1- Support people to quit smoking and vaping- do this in every way you can. If you smoke, go to the Tobacco and Veterans post to learn more about how to quit. If you don’t, donate to the ALA or the Campaign for Tobacco Free ki...2020-10-0527 min
The Single Well with Dr. MilahThe Very Air We BreatheWhen reflecting on our health and wellness, we rarely think of the effect of the environment that surrounds us. In this episode, I had a very transparent discussion with my first guest and fellow podcaster (host of "Air Health Our Health"), Dr. Erika Maria Moseson. She is a pulmonologist (a doctor who specializes in the lungs) and critical care specialist (a doctor who specializes in caring for patients in the intensive care unit). I learned a ton from her about environmental health disparities, as well as the importance of physician advocacy and involvement in creating the policies that affect our...2020-09-2950 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Health of our Heroes- Wildland Firefighters and Healthy Outdoor Work with Dr. Alya KhanLike many in the West and other parts of the world increasingly affected by fire, I think often of the hard work and heroism of our wildland firefighters. “Los bomberos” have been regularly mentioned in our family prayers before meals and bedtimes, and my children have participated enthusiastically in making thank you cards. As a lung doctor, I worry frequently about the health of frontline workers. One person who is an expert in evaluating and protecting high risk occupations is my podcast guest today. Dr. Alya Khan is an occupational medicine physician at the University of California Irvine, and dire...2020-09-2126 min
Air Health Our HealthThe Air Inside when Smoke is Outside- Wildfires & Air Quality with Dr. Elliott GallThis podcast is airing while catastrophic wildfires are raging over the entire West Coast, and many of us have been living in air quality that is beyond the air toxics index. I have never thought so much about my HVAC system and the trade-offs of protecting my home from external particulate matter and needing to ventilate my home. As a lung doctor, it is hard not to think about how much our buildings need to breathe just like we do. One person who makes it his job to study these things is Dr. Elliott Gall, a scientist in the...2020-09-1854 min
Air Health Our HealthHealthy Buses = Healthy + Smart Kids: ROI of cleaning up diesel with Dr. Sara AdarSeptember is usually a time when kids board school buses to start a new school year. In 2020, we are instead logging into Zoom calls, and hunkered down in our homes avoiding a pandemic virus and wildfires. Sometimes it is hard to find hope, but there is hope in this episode today! I focus on a very hopeful topic- the massive benefit of cleaning up diesel. While trying to convey the importance of decreasing diesel exhaust, I frequently cite a particular study by my guest Professor Sara Adar. We talk about what happened when Washington State decided to invest money an...2020-09-1427 min
Air Health Our HealthApocalypse Now- Fire, Climate Change and Cardiac ArrestToday's episode is a brief one outside the regular two week schedue. It is recorded in the setting of the wildfires engulfing the West Coast. I focus on the health effects of breathing wildfire smoke. I also provide some steps that we can take in response.
TLDL (To Long Didn't Listen)- Climate change is driving wildfires which will lead to astronomical costs in human and economic health. We need to do something.
Things you can do:
Donate Money-
Donate to World Central Kitchen- working to feed firefighters and those on the...2020-09-1008 min
Air Health Our HealthScience over Politics- Pollen, Climate Change and Integrity with Dr. Lewis ZiskaDr. Lewis Ziska, PhD is an extraordinary plant physiologist who joins me today to discuss pollen and allergens in our air. He had a 24 year career at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and is currently at the School of Public Health at Columbia University. He has contributed to International Panel on Climate Change reports with respect to food security as well as to National Climate Assessments regarding public health and air quality. His most recent book is: Agriculture, Climate Change and Food Security in the 21 st Century: Our Daily Bread. Listen to our discussion today about how climate ch...2020-08-3129 min
Air Health Our HealthWhat Lies Beneath- Radon and you with Curtis CudeUnder our homes and schools a silent killer often rises from the earth. . . radon. Join me in a lively discussion today with Curtis Cude of the Oregon Health Authority to discuss radon and you. He and I have both had to take action to decrease radon in our own homes, and we discuss the landscape of radon testing, homes, schools, mitigation, and barriers to reducing radon levels. Think you're protected because your neighbor has low radon or you're in new construction? What does it mean to have radon resistant construction? Does that mean you don't need to test your...2020-08-1721 min
Air Health Our HealthGambling with Your Lungs- E-cigs & Vape Roulette with Dr. Jeff GottsToday I am joined by Dr. Jeffrey Gotts, MD, PhD. Like me, he is a lung and ICU doctor trying to navigate all the valid questions his patients and community have about e-cigarettes, vaping, etc. He is also an expert on the science regarding vaping. We discuss what that science tells us about e-cigarettes, as well as exploring the hope that many have felt that these devices may represent a path towards freedom from conventional cigarettes. As always, the tobacco industry is pressing their agenda of killing people for profit (or not caring that people die for their profits...2020-08-0332 min
Air Health Our HealthTubman's Air Troubles- Decreasing our Air Toxics Exposure with Dr. Linda GeorgeToday I am joined by Dr. Linda George, PhD of Portland State University. When I started medical school, I never really thought that I'd be interviewing an atmospheric chemist. However, my experience as a physician treating patients who have been heavily exposed to diesel or have grown up breathing polluted air has led me to look at the world in a different way. We dive into that extensively on the podcast today, talking about how inequities have led to the delayed evaluation of the air toxics at Harriet Tubman Middle School (a public school located only 50 feet from a...2020-07-2032 min
Air Health Our HealthVeteran fights back against Tobacco- with Brandy CarpenterBig Tobacco has a history of targeting the military, from including tobacco in rations to leaked documents showing how they targeted recruits and veterans as ripe for tobacco addiction. Brandy Carpenter was serving in Afghanistan when she received word via the Red Cross that she was about to be made an orphan by Big Tobacco. Join us in a discussion about how this changed her life. Brandy works as a nurse practitioner and a tobacco treatment specialist in a lung cancer screening program. She shares her own story and her wisdom about how to break individuals and our society...2020-07-0624 min
Air Health Our Health"Let them breathe arsenic!" Air Toxics with Mary PevetoMary Peveto of Neighbors for Clean Air joins me on the podcast today. We dive into this gap between safety and legality and the many air toxics that are not regulated under the Clean Air Act. Like many Oregonians, I always thought our state had a green reputation and healthy air. I have learned as a lung doctor that is not the case. There is a large gap between what people think is happening with air quality regulation and the reality of our permitting processes that does not protect human health.
We also talk about the history...2020-06-2244 min
Air Health Our HealthTeargas "Non-Lethal?" Not LikelyAs a lung and ICU doctor, I have been perplexed by the descriptions of teargas as "non-lethal." In this podcast, I explore the science surrounding the idea of safety and try to assess what the true risks to health and healthcare costs might be.
Visit blog post and airhealthourhealth.org for more information.
Follow and comment on Facebook page and Instagram. 2020-06-1215 min
Air Health Our HealthTobacco & Healthy Black Lives with Cyreena Boston AshbyJoin us for a frank discussion of the history of tobacco's devastation of the black community and how we build towards health and equity. Tobacco is a drag on the whole economy, especially pushing communities of color into poverty. Learn more from Cyreena Boston Ashby, who shares her thoughts here.2020-06-0642 min
Air Health Our HealthAirways, Asthma and Air Pollution with Dr. DrakeJoin me for a conversation with Dr. Matt Drake, a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician and scientist researching the effects of air pollution on airways, particularly in asthma. Dr. Drake also lives with asthma himself and shares his experience.
Learn more about Dr. Drake here and read more at https://airhealthourhealth.org/blog/
Questions? Comments? Record a question on the Anchor app, or get in touch via the website. Follow and join conversation on Facebook and Instagram!2020-05-2924 minAir Health Our HealthIntro to Air Health Our Health podcastLung and ICU doctor looking upstream to prevent what causes patients to need care in the ICU and clinic. Don't light things on fire and breathe them into the lungs. From tobacco to diesel exhaust, dirty air kills. Visit airhealthourhealth.org for more info. Follow on Instagram and Facebook.2020-05-2502 min