Clean Air Advocacy Ireland

Coming up next week!

Join #LongCOVIDAwareness discussions at Defense Series III, Mar 4, 2026, 4:30pm-9pm EST in honor of patients and allies tirelessly advocating for health justice in this historic struggle, 6 Q&A sessions will feature an extraordinary panel of speakers. masktogetheramerica.org/blog/long-covi…

On the cover of The Lancet: Editorial — “Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure” Read the latest issue: spkl.io/6011Aa3Et

Further to our open letter we welcome this update 1/2 @hazardscampaign @cv_cev @LongCovidAdvoc @CleanAirIE @SFotonium @hazardscampaign @jneill @ThisHouseFresh @SalWitcher @AirborneAllergy

If filtration is good enough for schools in London, why not everywhere? Clean indoor air should not depend on postcode. It is a basic public health measure for every child. go.corsirosenthalfoundation.org.uk/iL8DHhW #CleanAir #CleanAirInSchools #AirQuality #HealthEquity

"Children whose mothers had COVID-19 during pregnancy show an altered brain structure and different behavior. COVID-19 will sustainably change our society because both adults and children feel less empathy and are less able to anticipate."

1. Outstanding article from Tess Finch Lees: 'Meanwhile, when asked why she’s masking during chemo, Meg now says, “I’m training for the Olympics” '. Please click on the paywalled link first, archived link in next tweet. Also consider sharing. m.independent.ie/opinion/commen…

Long COVID hasn’t disappeared. People continue to develop it after new infections—yet the myth that it’s “over” still persists. Bára’s story shows the reality: after her 3rd COVID‑19 infection in 2025, she became house‑bound with severe fatigue and heart issues.

A groundbreaking study has pinpointed a microscopic culprit behind the debilitating fatigue, brain fog, and other persistent symptoms of long COVID: abnormal, sticky microclots embedded with neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in patients' blood. These microclots—tiny aggregates of clotting proteins—are small enough to obstruct the body's tiniest blood vessels (capillaries), restricting oxygen delivery to tissues and organs without triggering obvious large-scale clotting events. In long COVID patients, researchers observed a dramatic ~20-fold increase (median 19.7 times higher) in the number of these microclots compared to healthy controls, with the clots also tending to be larger. What sets this finding apart is the discovery that these microclots are structurally intertwined with NETs—web-like structures of DNA, enzymes (such as myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase), and proteins released by neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) to ensnare pathogens. Normally, NETs form temporarily and then dissolve, but in long COVID, they persist and become physically embedded within the microclots, creating highly resistant, "gummy" structures that evade the body's natural clot-breaking processes (fibrinolysis). This creates a chronic thromboinflammatory state, where blocked microcirculation and ongoing low-grade inflammation may sustain symptoms like exhaustion and cognitive impairment. The differences were so pronounced that machine learning models analyzing anonymized blood samples (via fluorescence microscopy for markers like ThT for amyloid-like structures, DNA stains, and MPO for NETs) could distinguish long COVID patients from healthy individuals with 91% accuracy—offering a potential objective biomarker for a condition that has long evaded reliable diagnosis through standard tests (e.g., normal D-dimer, PT/INR, or aPTT levels despite significant microclot burden). This work, led by teams including Prof. Etheresia Pretorius (Stellenbosch University) and Dr. Alain Thierry (Montpellier University), reframes long COVID as a tangible, blood-based disorder driven by dysregulated coagulation and innate immunity rather than vague "post-viral malaise." Targeting NETs or microclots—perhaps with therapies to degrade NETs or prevent their stabilization—could open doors to treating root causes instead of merely alleviating symptoms. [Thierry, A. R., Usher, T., Sanchez, C., Turner, S., Venter, C., Pastor, B., Waters, M., Thompson, A., Mirandola, A., Pisareva, E., Prevostel, C., Laubscher, G. J., Kell, D. B., & Pretorius, E. (2025). Circulating Microclots Are Structurally Associated With Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Their Amounts Are Elevated in Long COVID Patients. Journal of Medical Virology, 97(10), e70613. DOI: 10.1002/jmv.70613]

Attendance is critical for students to do well in school. A cheap way to increase attendance: clean the air!! Check out the success story below. We have solutions. We need to use them. @erbrooker @CleanAir4KidsUK

Join #LongCOVID Defense Series III to honor patients and their allies who are tirelessly advocating for health justice in this historic struggle. On March 4, 2026, 4:30pm-9:00pm EST, 6 Q&A sessions will feature an extraordinary panel of speakers. masktogetheramerica.org/blog/long-covi…

LC Defense Series III 4:35pm Delphine Crespo @longcovidaragon 5:10pm Dr. Ciara Steele @CleanAirIE 5:45pm Pamela Morrison, @LCAIreland 6:20pm Elisa Perego PhD @elisaperego78 6:55pm Angela L.@LCAwarenessInt 7:35pm Devin Russell @LongCFoundation Register: masktogetheramerica.org/blog/long-covi…

@TogetherWeMask @longcovidaragon @LCAIreland @elisaperego78 @LCawarenessInt @LongCFoundation Thank you for the kind invitation, and looking forward to hearing from your esteemed guests and caring colleagues.

That’s fantastic to see that healthcare facilities are taking on Air Quality monitoring and improvement

Appreciated my discussion on the bold and pragmatic steps being taken to address the health threats of indoor air pollution by health experts and advocates @DrBronKing and @glagoudas during the @WEF Annual Meeting. I am particularly impressed by their efforts to boost global support for increased action to protect people from the harms of indoor air pollution, which kills and sickens millions a year, and impacts economies and workplace productivity around the world. The Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air is one such initiative to increase awareness and commitment to address this threat. airclub.org

@IKostenas @DrTedros @DrBronKing @glagoudas @wef @ProtectTheKidz @igoe_at @DAGL_ev @CleanAir4KidsUK @Ecole_Oubliee @cv_cev @BildungSicherDE @BildungSicherCH @aireamos @nousaerons Thank you Irène. We work as a group of concerned volunteers towards inclusive equitable and universal implementation of clean air standards in our indoor spaces particularly in healthcare and Education. Air Quality affects our health and can lead to acute and chronic disease. 🙏

@DrTedros @DrBronKing @glagoudas @wef One really has to highlight the commitment of civil society! These people who work voluntarily for healthy indoor air deserve many kudos @ProtectTheKidz @igoe_at @DAGL_ev @CleanAir4KidsUK @Ecole_Oubliee @cv_cev @BildungSicherDE @BildungSicherCH @aireamos @nousaerons @CleanAirIE

Long COVID Defense Series II Jan 15, 2026, 5:00pm-8:00pm EST features: 🌟Sinéad O'Brien, co-founder @CleanAirIE 🌟Prof. Akiko Iwasaki @VirusesImmunity @YaleMed 🌟@BetsyLadyzhets & 🌟@MilesWGriffis, co-founders and editors, @TheSickTimes Register now: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regist…

This week we sent a letter to UK education ministers backed by senior politicians, distinguished scientists & air quality experts, public health specialists, GPs, teachers & headteachers, trade union leaders, foundations, organisations, & advocacy groups 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪 @SFotonium

How did we get into this mess? Apart from unevidenced & erroneous definitions, which over-focused on hand transmission, I think we used 1 word descriptors for entire transmission pathways. I've reworked to Source to Infection Pathway & changed MoT for "how do they get about".

Awareness of poorer indoor air quality can promote change. Retrofitting mechanical ventilation or adding portable HEPA filters are options to pursue.