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HONOLULU - The Hawai’i Department of Health’s Clean Air Branch will monitor Hawai’i’s air quality during the New Year celebrations and compare it with national ambient air quality standards. The heavy use of fireworks during the annual holiday celebration can significantly increase the amount of particulates in the air, especially on O’ahu, health officials said.  Firework smoke consists primarily of particulate matter that can aggravate health conditions such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. If you suffer from one of these lung conditions you may want to take certain precautionary measures. The Department of Health offers the following guidelines:  On New Year’s Eve, stay indoors and close your windows and doors.  Check that your air conditioner or air purifier is working properly, change filters if necessary.

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Last week, we recommended holding our breath whenever we use hair sprays or household chemical cleaning sprays, etc. to protect our body from the adverse effects of these chemicals. Some people, while not even practicing the simple measure we suggested above, go to the other extreme of a reaction, which is likewise harmful to our body. I am referring to a new fad very popular in Las Vegas and other big cities: Oxygen Therapy concession stand. This useless, money-wasting, and even dangerous, treatment, claims to invigorate the body by inhaling this extra and pure oxygen, for only a few dollars for so many minutes. The cost of a session will be enough to buy at least a sack of rice.  You will see the ignorant, unsuspecting victims, sitting on bar stools, with nasal cannula, breathing in oxygen (filtered thru bubbling colored water for visual effect), much like ICU patients, sans the color.