Asthma and Clean Air

As Paula can attest, athma has to be one of the most terrifying diseases in the world. One minute you (or someone you love) are perfectly fine. The next minute you are having an asthma attack—gasping for breath, your fingers and lips turning blue because you can’t get enough oxygen in your lungs. An asthma attack feels like you have just jumped in the deep end of the pool and can’t find your way up out of the water. If you do get your head above the water to gulp a breath of air, someone pushes your head down. Again. And again. And again.  You hope you will survive and start breathing. But some people don’t. In fact hundreds of thousands of people die every year from asthma.

Did you know?

  • In 2019 more than 455,000 people in the world died from asthma—more than 1000 people every day (World Health Organization)
  • 1 in 12 people in the US have asthma—which affects over 25 million Americans
  • Asthma has been increasing since 1980 for all age, sex and racial groups
  • People who have moderate to extreme asthma are at higher risk of developing serious complications from Covid-19

Air pollution and asthma

So what causes asthma? And why is it increasing?

There are many theories. But one issue is clear: study after study has documented that air pollution is related to asthma. Here are some shocking facts, according to the Academy of Allergy and Asthma (AAAAI):

  • Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been shown to increase the risk of wheezing and asthma development in children.
  • Exposure to air pollution early in life contributes to the development of asthma throughout childhood and adolescence. Traffic-related air pollution in particular is associated with the development of asthma in school children.
  • Air pollution, especially traffic-related pollution, can increase the chances of developing asthma in adults as well.

Clean air so that all of us can breathe

Air pollution does not just cause asthma. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution kills an estimated 7 million people a year— resulting in COPD, lung cancer, heart disease, strokes and many other diseases as well as asthma.

But there is a solution! In the spring of 2020, as people around the world stayed home due to Covid-19  and stopped driving cars, overnight we stepped out of our houses to breathe clean air. Clean air is a possibility today if we change how we do errands, commute and travel. Our site is here to inspire you to be a part of this change and make our world a better place to breathe.

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