An irritant is so named because it irritates already inflamed asthma airways. Irritants don't produce the same type of immune response that an allergen does. But they can make existing asthma symptoms worse.
Examples of Air Pollutants
Air pollutants are known as one of the main risk factors for developing asthma in urban environments. Changes in our environment over the past few decades have resulted in higher levels of air pollutants all the time in our atmosphere. This is one possible explanation for the increased rates of asthma in developed countries.
Common air pollutants include:
- Tobacco smoke
- Wood smoke from campfires and woodstoves
- Exhaust, soot and fumes from cars and other road vehicles
- Ground level ozone
- Other chemical fumes in the air
