SAN ANTONIO – Bad air could be impacting your health. This summer, San Antonians have been dealing with African dust, and recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the city is not meeting national air-quality standards.
University Hospital staff members don’t track the number of patients that come in with respiratory complaints, but Dr. Dina Tom, pediatrician at University Health System, said they have noticed an increase of people with asthma and allergy complaints.
“It does seem there might be an increase rates of asthma in general, but it’s hard to prove that that's tied to the specific things in the air,” she said.
Tom says poor air quality could impact people with chronic breathing problems and asthma, and those who have never had allergies in the past could develop them.
Parents with young children should also be vigilant.
“A constant runny nose or sneezing, if they are tearing, have more ear infections, even skin diseases like eczema, is a sign a child is more prone to allergies or asthma in the future,” Tom said.
This month, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District launched its Clean Air Challenge San Antonio campaign. Radio and television ads are running, and there’s a competition on social media in which people can show how they are doing their part to keep the air clean.
The city is pushing people to carpool, take public transportation or ride a bike to help improve air quality.