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…
Children, the elderly, and people with heart disease, lung disease, and asthma are especially vulnerable to health problems caused by wildfire smoke.
Climate change is a major threat to the health of people with asthma. Learn more about how climate change makes asthma worse.
Disclaimer: this is meant to be used as a reference only, not a medical guide. Please consult your physician for any serious medical questions.
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…
