What is Asthma? - Moms Clean Air Force

Asthma is a chronic lung condition in which the airways become inflamed, making it harder to breathe. Asthma can cause wheezing, breathlessness, coughing, chest tightness, disturbed sleep, school absences, curtailed physical activity, hospital visits, and, in rare cases, death. More than 8% of all US children have asthma. It is the most common chronic disease of childhood.

There is growing evidence that the onset of childhood asthma can be triggered by air pollution.

What causes asthma?

Asthma is a complex disease with multiple factors, but air pollution can cause asthma and trigger asthma attacks. Diesel exhaust, smog, particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, wildfire smoke, and volatile organic compounds are all air pollutants that make asthma worse. Asthma attacks can also be triggered by pollen and heat.

As climate change worsens, temperatures rise steadily. Across the country, with Alaska at the forefront, temperature records are being obliterated. Hot days mean higher incidences of asthma attacks.

What you can do.

Learn more about asthma by exploring our resources.

Join us to fight against the Trump administration’s rollbacks of clean air rules.

Join us in your state to work to keep the air cleaner and fight climate change. Your efforts will help children breathe easier.

The science is clear. We must act with urgency.

Moms Clean Air Force demands that city, state, and federal lawmakers and regulators move us onto a path to climate safety immediately.

We must mobilize immediately for a transition to zero climate pollution. The 100% Clean Economy bill is a great start.
We must have laws and regulations that rapidly draw down carbon and methane emissions and ramp up energy efficiency everywhere.
Our goals must be ambitious, and staged deadlines must be strictly enforced to demonstrate measurable progress.
We must ensure that vulnerable populations and communities of color are given equitable protections and are granted access to cost-effective clean-energy options.
We must make bold investments in innovative technologies that will help solve this climate crisis.
We must hold companies accountable for cleaning up their climate pollution.

Tell Your Representatives:
It’s Beyond Time for Climate Safety