Be kind to your heart

Be kind to your heart on Valentine’s Day! Here at OEC, we ♥ your heart. Our vision for a healthy future includes ensuring that every Oregonian has a chance to live, and love, in environments that support healthy hearts. That means ensuring that the air we breathe, in our neighborhoods and at our jobs, is free from heart-damaging pollution.

Did you know…

  • Cleaning up the air can actually increase life expectancy and reduce heart attack risk in a matter of years.
  • More people die from heart attacks and strokes than from lung problems due to diesel exhaust and tailpipe pollutants.
  • Smoggy days can cause inflammation and change the heart rate in just a few hours.
  • Indoor air can also harm the heart over time if polluted from smoking, wood burning, cooking and burning candles and incense.
  • Even low levels of heavy metals like lead, mercury and arsenic can harm the heart.
  • Some studies suggest that people who work with solvents and pesticides on the job are at increased risk of heart disease.

See scientific articles and statements from the Heart Institute and  American Heart Association, and studies  on heavy metals and pesticides and solvents related to heart disease.

If you share our healthy heart vision, here are some ways you can protect your health today and be a part of solutions that last well into the future:

In your home:

  • Pollution can build up; be sure you are getting fresh air! Your kitchen and bathroom fans can help draw stale air out and fresh air in.
  • Consider opening your windows for a few minutes in the evening when traffic has calmed down.
  • Consider also getting rid of your old wood stove in favor of a cleaner-burning heat source. See more about tax credits and other resources in Oregon.

On the road:

  • In traffic jams or near diesel trucks, switch your air flow to “recirculate” so that you are not drawing pollution in where it can build up.
  • Do your part: avoid idling your engine. If you are likely to be out of traffic and at a stand-still for more than 20 seconds, turn your engine off.

In your community:

  • Consider planning your strenuous outdoor activities and bike/walk commute routes in ways that help you avoid the worst tailpipe pollution.
  • Become an advocate for anti-idling policies at schools, churches and other community buildings where there are frequent car or bus drop-off zones.  See Idle Free School Zone resources.

For the love of Oregon:

In the 2017 legislative session, OEC will champion a number of bills designed to improve air quality and heart health.

  • If you aren’t already part of our GAIN list to receive action alerts, sign up today! 

For the love of all Oregon hearts: Join us on February 15 in Salem for Clean Air Lobby Day!

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1 Reply to "Be kind to your heart"

  • s
    February 9, 2017 (10:51 pm)

    Stop sitting in your vehicle w/the engine running while you “check” your smartphone for 5 . . . 10 .. 15 or more minutes. I see this more & more often where I live.

    In the summer, if it’s too hot to leave your dog or cat in a vehicle w/the windows open, leave them at home. I’m tired of seeing huge pickups (and other personal motor vehicles) in supermarket parking lots left idling for 30 minutes or more because the vehicle’s owner/driver has left his/her dog in the vehicle, so has left engine running, AC blasting.