Breathing problems

Re-reading the original article, I think we need to be looking at what causes NZ in particular to be one of the leaders in the asthma stakes. It's a fairly common affliction in a lot of countries, but what makes NZ have 'one of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the developed world'? One in four children is really high.

Some children/people are allergic to things like cat hair (eh, Taffy?) which brings on breathing difficulties, but that again is throughout the world and not exclusive to NZ. They mention poverty as possibly playing a part in this so maybe the quality of life has a bearing on it, although it's often been said about little kids seen playing outside in all weathers with no coats on, yet managing to stay clear of all the nasty germs that laid other kids low. Difficult to know what to pin it down to.

I haven't the time to do the research at the moment to post links, but I recall something being mentioned a couple of years ago about wood preservative causing respiratory problems. New Zealand houses have a lot of wood.

I also recall reading in a construction magazine some time ago that burning offcuts of treated wood in the house causes respiratory problems. I do wonder how many poorer families do burn the offcuts of someone's construction or extension.

There are synthetic materials everywhere giving off toxic fumes ... especially paint, new carpets, etc. which could trigger problems. Also, some insecticide/herbicide sprays that have been used/are still being used which have been proved unsafe in other countries. There also seems to be more food additives and preservatives in processed food here.

Dustmites in bedding worsens asthma and dustmites like damp conditions -a lot of NZ houses are damp.

I have a child who is borderline asthmatic, and another with allergies. Like many parents, I can't help but wonder what I may have unintentionally done to inflict these problems on my kids - I did a lot of painting/staining around the house whilst pregnant, we did burn wood offcuts in the absence of central heating when Philip was a baby. With Oliver, we lived in a newly-built barn with lots of wood, paint, new carpets etc. - a lot of the paint/staining I did myself. It does make one wonder ... however other kids have developed asthma in totally different environments, and for many it is genetic.

:icon_neutral:

Ummmm. Difficult one isn't it? Surely though, simply because of population numbers, there can't be as many children in NZ living in poverty as UK and years ago i.e. 19th and early 20th century when there was a much higher number of people living in poverty in extremely poor living conditions there didn't seem to be these problems. It's a relatively new phenomenon. I don't know what the answer is but they're throwing millions into the research. It's probably a combination of all the cited suspects, maybe NZ has a more concentrated mixture of them. And as Stevey [color=cyan:a21f4bfbc1]in his infintite wisdom :icon_mrgreen: [/color:a21f4bfbc1] mentioned in a previous post about statistics, they can be made to prove whatever you want them to, there may have been a rise in the number of babies born or a rise in the ability of doctors to diagnose early, you just don't know.

Could the climate or native flora have anything to do with it? I think the biggest factor, though, is probably the wooden houses. In Britain, we've always had brick houses so that is probably the biggest factor.

In any case, surveys/stats are a load of sh**e. If you type country X has the worst health service/astma rate/cancer rate/crime rate/tax etc into a serach engine, I'm sure that you could find a report indicating that it is the worst in the industrialised world, irrespective of whether that is true or not. Stats can be interpreted any way you want them to be and are, therefore, used by politicians to mislead the public. If in doubt, I always trust my gut instinct.


Tottefan.

Probably not applicable to New Zealand, but pollution can cause asthma.

My father is a good example - born in London, one of twins, weighed 3lb at birth, small but fine in health. He was sent to relatives in Wales during the war but even on his return to London was OK ... until they had the big London smogs in the late 1940's/early 1950's. Apparently, these smogs killed thousands and many more like my father developed respiratory trouble and asthma. - http://www.metoffice.com/education/s...ents/smog.html

:icon_neutral:

[quote:8686553466="tottefan"]In any case, surveys/stats are a load of sh**e. [/quote:8686553466]

Stats or no stats, I've read elsewhere that a LOT of people are suffering from either hayfever, asthma or other breathing problems more so since immigrating to NZ. This isn't media blurb, but actual people saying this. I know there was a particular problem with pollen from privet hedges this year, which are now being banned.

I'm interested in this as I have allergic rhinitis that basically causes my nose to bung up whenever there's anything in the atmosphere that my nasal passages take a dislike to, which is most things like humidity, drop in temperature, dust etc.

[color=lightblue:e71ac57747]Oh well, we've got plenty of this here.[/color:e71ac57747] :icon_biggrin:

[color=blue:e71ac57747][b:e71ac57747]Dust could protect children from asthma - research [/b:e71ac57747][/color:e71ac57747]
28.04.06 4.00pm

Exposing children early in life to dust and other microbial agents could protect them from developing asthma, according to a Massey University academic. Massey epidemiologist Associate Professor Jeroen Douwes said he has tracked 700 Dutch children since before birth and found that the more children are exposed to dust, dirt and microbials, such as bacteria and fungi, as well as pets and farm animals, the greater the odds they will not develop asthma.

"The children who were highly exposed to microbials were 60 per cent less likely to develop asthma in the first four years of life," said Dr Douwes.

The research may bolster the "hygiene hypothesis," which says one reason asthma is rising is that young children no longer come into contact with as many of the germs that arm a maturing immune system against certain allergic conditions.

One in four New Zealand children is affected by respiratory disease, says the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the developed world, with asthma estimated to cost the country $825 million a year

In the Dutch research, the children were watched for the development of asthma symptoms such as wheezing or "atopic sensitisation" which can develop into allergies and may be inherited from one of their parents. If a child develops this allergy the reaction is instant when coming into contact with the allergen.

Dr Douwes says the researchers measured the amount of dust found in the children's living room floors and on their mattresses. "We compared the use of mite-impermeable mattress and pillow covers with a control group using a regular cotton mattress and pillow cases," he said . The study also assessed whether children had allergies, by measuring antibodies in their blood.

"Different beddings did not seem to be significant. The measurements between the mite-impermeable and regular bedding was not much different. It did not seem to affect the levels of children developing asthma."

What did make the difference in whether the children developed asthma was how clean the living room floor was. The children that were the most exposed to microbials on the floor had a lower risk for developing asthma or a wheeze. "This longitudinal study is strong evidence that removing carpets and pets in an effort to reduce the risk of children developing asthma is not effective," said Prof Douwes. "It may make things worse". But if a child had developed asthma as a reaction to indoor allergens, removing carpets and pets was likely to help.

- NZPA

[color=darkblue:32ee970cab][b:32ee970cab]Smog season has begun in Canterbury[/b:32ee970cab][/color:32ee970cab]
02 May 2006
By BECK ELEVEN

Winter may be officially a month away but the smog season has already begun. Environment Canterbury (ECan) has been required to monitor smog levels for more than a decade and this year is no exception. ECan senior air quality officer Teresa Aberkane said smog forecasts for Christchurch, Kaiapoi and Timaru were available to the public on the council's website and recorded information could be heard on a dedicated telephone line.

She said June and July were traditionally the months when smog was at its highest concentration. "We've been quite lucky this April, but June and July is when the weather settles down and we can expect frosty mornings with fine days and light winds, so the smog can't disperse."

Blue Skies forecaster Tony Trewinnard, who provides weather predictions for the region, said technology had advanced so predictions had been refined. "We are more confident about forecasting and how pollution responds in certain weather. And we are more clear about the weather itself."

The latest prediction says the South Island can expect a mixture of clear and cloudy nights over the winter months. Clear nights with light winds usually result in higher smog levels, while cloudy nights alleviate rapid cooling and tend to create low smog conditions.

National environmental standards limit pollution to 50 micrograms of PM10 (particulate matter ? tiny particles of pollution carried in the air) per cubic metre. The standard allows cities to go beyond the limit once a year. Last year, Christchurch had 32 days above the prescribed level.