Our children are suffering from an asthma epidemic. One in 10 US children has asthma, the most common chronic disease of childhood. Asthma can cause wheezing, breathlessness, coughing, chest tightness, disturbed sleep, school absences, curtailed physical activity, and hospital visits.
While the development of asthma seems to have a genetic component, outside factors are what set off, or trigger, asthma attacks in people who have the disease. Some common air pollutants that trigger asthma include ozone, diesel exhaust, nitrogen dioxide, particle pollution, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and formaldehyde. Many of these triggers derive from the combustion of fossil fuels – whether in power plants, cars, or elsewhere.
Nearly two-thirds of those suffering from asthma live in an area where at least one federal air-quality standard is not being met. Even air pollution levels within EPA’s safety standards worsen asthma in vulnerable children, causing more frequent asthma symptoms and lower lung function in some children, especially those in dense urban areas.
Climate change is a serious concern for the 26 million Americans, including 7 million children, who currently suffer from asthma. Warmer temperatures promote the production of harmful ground level ozone, a known asthma trigger. Climate change is expected to increase dangerous ozone levels in many areas. This air pollution in turn will worsen asthma symptoms and trigger asthma attacks.
Climate change carries a heavy toll for asthma sufferers and their families. Our brochure, “How Climate Change Affects Asthma and What You Can Do About It,” outlines how climate change triggers more asthma attacks and and offers concrete tips about how we can address the problem. This first-of-its-kind resource, specifically…
Diesel exhaust is a type of pollution that comes from the combustion of diesel fuel in heavy duty machinery, trucks, buses, trains, ships, and some cars. Learn how diesel pollution affects your health in our new fact sheet, “How Diesel Pollution Affects Your Health and…
Air pollution can cause serious health problems. Rarely, it can even kill people — and we’re not exaggerating. That’s why we care so much about the laws that protect us from air pollution. Read on to learn more about the specific parts of our…
An asthma attack can occur when someone with asthma is exposed to things in the environment, such as diesel exhaust, smog, house dust mites, and tobacco smoke. These are called asthma triggers. Asthma triggers cause symptoms in people who already have the underlying disease. One person’s…
Please SHARE these 10 TWEETS with your Twitter followers right now! Asthma accounts for an annual loss of more than 14 million school days per year >> Tweet this << The annual direct cost of asthma in the US is approximately $11.5 billion >> Tweet…
Asthma is a national epidemic. Nearly 26 million Americans live with asthma — including 7 million children! While we can control some of the asthma triggers in our homes, we can only protect ourselves from air pollution triggers by supporting strong regulations to clean our…
“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou Diverse Representation I am a young black woman, and I am just one of many sharing the message that taking action...
Moms who care about clean air and climate change had a big impact in the 2018 elections. In Part 1 of this series, we highlighted two women who worked on important environmental ballot initiatives, and one who helped re-elect her U.S. Senator and elect a...
This was written by Nancy Spencer, an environmental attorney and mom in San Mateo, California: By nature, I am an optimist. So when the sunlight suddenly turned orange a week ago today and my yard smelled like a campfire, I thought “it’s just a local...
We were excited to host our 5th annual Play-In for Climate Action this week. Hundreds of parents and children from 30 states gathered near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC to call for meaningful action on climate change. This family-friendly protest against the air pollution that...
From World Asthma Day through Mother’s Day, we’re sharing the stories of moms who are fighting for clean air on behalf of their children. Today, meet Julie Novel and her son, Anthony: I suffer from asthma. Growing up in a highly polluted area of Huntington, West...
