Air quality can impact on the lives of people with asthma. There are many sources of poor air quality, including outdoor pollutants such as landscape fire smoke, airborne dust, traffic exhaust and pollens, and indoor pollutants and allergens including mould, occupational irritants, household aerosols and perfumes, cigarette smoke and natural gas. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to the negative health effects of poor air quality, particularly chronic exposures throughout pregnancy.
In this section we discuss outdoor air quality, including outdoor allergens and thunderstorm asthma and the impact of landscape fire smoke (in particular, bushfire smoke) on asthma, and indoor air quality including indoor allergens, household and occupational irritants, cigarette smoke and natural gas.