Poor air quality can trigger asthma symptoms. When air quality is not great outdoors or indoors, it can lead to worsening symptoms or flare-ups. You may find it helpful to stay indoors and reduce exposure to indoor triggers.

Asthma is a chronic but manageable lung condition that causes hypersensitivity in your airways. This hypersensitivity can lead to significant changes such as airway narrowing, making breathing difficult.

You’re more likely to experience difficulty on days when the air quality outside is a concern and may cause your asthma symptoms to flare up. On poor air quality days, you may experience coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or tightness in your chest.

If you have asthma, you can take certain steps to help prepare for and cope with air quality concerns. Stay aware of how severe your symptoms may be. If your action plan calls for it, seek medical care once your symptoms reach a certain point.

An asthma trigger is something that worsens asthma and can cause sudden symptoms. Ground-level ozone and particle pollution are asthma triggers.

Learn more about asthma and common triggers beyond air quality.

People with asthma are more vulnerable to air pollution. Poor air quality days may trigger asthma episodes that require emergency department visits or hospitalizations.

That situation is getting worse for people with asthma because of climate change. This global issue worsens air quality in the United States and beyond, leading to more ozone pollution and more severe wildfires that generate smoke, spreading particle pollution for hundreds of miles.

The American Lung Association (ALA) State of the Air 2024 report found that after decades of improvements in air quality, climate change is beginning to undo that progress.

Checking air quality

Experts recommend that people with asthma check the air quality each day, especially if they plan to spend time outdoors.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website AirNow.gov is a great tool for checking daily air quality. There’s also an AirNow app.

You can find out more about air quality on the ALA website, including learning about the status of overall air quality in your area with the State of the Air report mentioned earlier.

Additionally, the ALA offers tips on how to better manage your asthma and how to improve the air quality at your workplace or school.

By making some lifestyle changes, you and the people around you can make a significant difference in your exposure to asthma triggers. Identifying your triggers and avoiding them is an important part of managing your asthma.

You can consider taking these steps:

  • Quit smoking or vaping if you currently do.
  • If you do not smoke or use e-cigarettes, reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke or vape emissions. This will decrease the overall irritants to your lungs.
  • Limit exposure to other possible triggers in your home, such as pet dander, mold, and pests.
  • On poor air quality days, stay indoors as much as possible. Avoid outdoor exercise and outdoor activities such as mowing the lawn.

Other steps you can take to help improve air quality overall include:

  • encouraging the transition to electric vehicles
  • biking instead of driving when possible
  • telling your elected representatives that cleaning up the air is important to you

When the air quality is poor, everyone should avoid strenuous outdoor activity. This is especially true for people with asthma.

Options for indoor alternatives include:

  • walking in a shopping mall or gym
  • using an exercise machine
  • working out to an exercise video

If you have children, try to limit their outdoor playtime on days when the air quality is unhealthy.

Exercising close to high traffic areas can also increase your risk. Even if the air quality forecast is good, the traffic on busy highways can create high pollution as far as one-third of a mile away.

Many factors can worsen indoor air quality. Be aware of exposures to:

  • dust
  • dust mites
  • cockroaches
  • pet dander
  • common cleaning supplies
  • household chemicals
  • mold or bacteria from flood and water damage
  • secondhand smoke
  • fireplaces and woodstoves
  • building materials such as asbestos, volatile organic compounds, and paint

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Poor air quality is a potential trigger for people with asthma. When air quality outside or indoors isn’t great, it can lead to worsening asthma symptoms or flare-ups.

You can work with your healthcare team to best understand what causes your asthma symptoms and to reduce your exposure to those potential irritants. This may involve not going outside on poor air quality days and reducing indoor triggers through various cleaning methods.

Consult your healthcare team if you have any symptoms that are not resolved by following your asthma action plan. If your symptoms fall into the red category of your asthma action plan, seek medical attention right away.