Lung Health:

Protect Your Lungs

Did You Know?

Heat and humidity can affect your breathing

Help yourself and others breathe easier

Talk to your health care professional if you experience shortness of breath, pain when breathing, dizziness with a change of activity, a persistent cough, wheezing or coughing with exercise, or pain in the airway. If you have a chronic lung disease like asthma or COPD, work with your health care professional to manage symptoms and flare-ups.

Jump to:

Smoke Cessation

      • Don’t smoke. It’s not too late to quit. Smoking damages your lungs and increases your risk for a number of diseases including lung cancer and COPD. Be a healthy role model for kids.
      • Avoid second hand smoke and vape, and clean away residual tobacco fumes from walls and furniture (known as third hand smoke)

Prevent respiratory disease:

Respiratory diseases can be even more dangerous for those living with lung disease. Protect yourself and your community by:

      • Get vaccinated
      • Wear a mask (KN95 respirator is preferred), especially in public indoor settings. You should feel free to wear a mask even if it’s not required.
      • Stay home when you’re sick, and avoid people at high risk (elderly, very young, pregnant people, those living with lung or other chronic disease)
      • Wash your hands to prevent the spread of disease
      • COVER YOUR COUGHS. To help stop the spread of germs, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
      • Stay away from crowds during peak cold and flu season, get plenty of rest, eat well and keep your stress levels under control.

IMPROVE AIR QUALITY:

      • Avoid burning wood
      • Don’t idle gas or diesel powered engines
      • Avoid chemicals in the home, including fragrances
      • Clean up and prevent mould indoors
      • Test your home and workplace for radon
      • Create a clean-air room in your home with a DIY box fan filter

Reduce exposures:

      • Use the Air Qualtiy Health Index to help manage risk
      • Wear a mask when using chemicals
      • Wear a mask (KN96 respirator is preferred) when visiting crowded indoor spaces when infectious diseases are prevalent
      • Turn on the exhaust fan in the kitchen and bathroom to vent vapour and fumes
      • Mitigate for radon, if needed

Exercise:

      • 30 minutes of exercise each day makes a big difference!

Page Last Updated: 28/02/2023