February 2024

Matters of the Heart 🫁❤️

MARC MY WORDS: Thoughts from Breathe SoCal's President & CEO

It’s February - Black History Month, Valentines Day AND the promise of longer, lighter days... A trio of positive opportunities to lift our spirits from the hibernation of winter months and reflect on so many incredible change-makers, our valued loved ones and the joy of getting outside a bit more, hopefully with said loved ones.

With Valentines day and all things heart centered comes Heart Health Month or maybe it’s the other way around…

Non-the-less, a chance to discuss the irrefutable relationship between the heart and lungs. 

When we look through the lens of pop culture, literature and stories of old, it's pretty obvious the heart gets top billing. The ignitor of all things amore between friends, families and let's not forget our fur babies…

It's true the heart seemingly reigns supreme. But when we look at the root origin of the word breathe, it points to the latin, spire or inspiration, You can’t have one without the other.... Literally and figurativeley. 

You see, your heart and lungs aren't just located near each other - they are partners working to make sure your entire body gets the oxygen it needs. 

Did you know the pulmonary loop, aka, the right side of the heart, is tasked with collecting the oxygen-poor blood and moving it to the lungs for cleaning and reoxygenating.

Once reoxygenated, the systemic loop, aka, the left side of the heart, pumps the high-oxygen blood to the rest of your vital organs; like the kidneys, liver and brain. Once all the oxygen in your blood has been consumed, the process repeats. With each inhale, your lungs fill with fresh oxygen and each exhale releases carbon dioxide – ensuring the blood your heart pumps is meeting the needs of your body.

Now that’s what I call relationship goals, and while there are a multitude of things that can go wrong with the heart when our lung health is compromised… When we take steps toward optimal lung health, our heart has a much better chance of doing it’s job.

In health,

Marc Carrel

President & CEO

"Environmental justice is nothing more than this whole principle: people have the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment without regard to race, color, national origin. It’s just that simple."

Some Good News From The EPA!

Air pollution has improved across the U.S. since the Clean Air Act of 1970,

However Los Angeles still suffers with heavy pollution from soot and smog. 

New rules on soot pollution from EPA aim to lower that pollution burden further.

The rule will require states to monitor air quality and meet a new standard of 9 micrograms of soot per cubic meter, down from an existing standard of 12 micrograms per cubic meter, a change the EPA said will prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and save up to $46 billion in net health benefits in 2032.

See you on the socials!