What if the air you breathe could predict your next asthma attack—or even prevent it?
That’s the mission behind DailyBreath, the pioneering health tech platform developed by Eric J. Klos, a former government health IT expert turned founder. In this insightful episode of Power Talk, Eric walks us through his journey—from a casual conversation with his sister to the creation of a groundbreaking environmental health app designed to revolutionize respiratory care.
The Moment of Realization
It all started with a question from Eric’s sister:
“What if there was an app that could predict when my rheumatoid arthritis symptoms would flare up due to weather changes?”
That simple idea sparked a deeper exploration into environmental factors as critical but overlooked health determinants. Eric discovered that for respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, environmental triggers such as air pollutants, pollen, humidity, and temperature often go untracked—despite causing serious, even fatal, health events.
“Ten people a day in the U.S. die of asthma attacks. Many of these are potentially preventable,” Eric points out.
What DailyBreath Does Differently
Unlike weather apps that offer broad, region-wide AQI readings, DailyBreath creates a personalized risk index based on granular data. Users can log their symptoms and visualize them on a community symptom map, turning anecdotal experiences into real-time, actionable insights.
Key features include:
- Real-time air quality updates based on the closest available sensors or wearables
- Crowdsourced symptom mapping to identify pollution hotspots
- Personalized health forecasts with daily recommendations
- Integration with emerging wearables and air purifiers
“We’re not just giving data—we’re giving context. We’re helping users track, learn, know, and act.”
A Platform Built for the Future
DailyBreath is more than an app—it’s a scalable platform ready to integrate with:
- Mobile sensor networks
- Indoor AQI monitors
- Pediatric care for asthma
- City-level pollution mitigation strategies
Eric envisions a world where parents, pediatricians, and policymakers can access reliable, crowdsourced data to support decisions—whether it’s prescribing a new asthma treatment or investing in street-level air purifiers.
Turning Data into Action
Through collected data, DailyBreath can help validate:
- The ROI of green infrastructure
- The efficacy of air purifiers
- The impact of carbon offset projects
- And even medication performance under different environmental conditions
“At the macro level, cities can track the outcomes of climate solutions. At the personal level, individuals can justify spending $199 on an air purifier that actually works for them.”
What’s Next?
DailyBreath is exploring a premium version, API integrations, and collaborations with academic institutions to harness the full power of exposomics—the science of environmental exposure over time.
“We’re in inning two of a nine-inning game,” says Eric. “But we’re building the playbook for health tech that puts air quality at the center.”
A Final Thought
Eric leaves us with this powerful summary:
“It’s not just action—it’s tracking, measuring, validating. It’s your air and your health.”