ASTHMA
Asthma affects many people in the United States, including children. In New York State, the percentage of those who suffer from asthma is disproportionately high; in some communities the rate has grown to ten times the national average and more. This has led to increased emergency room admissions and an increase in absenteeism among New York’s schoolchildren.

What Causes Asthma?
Air pollution can trigger an asthma attack. More than any other single source, fossil fuel power plants contribute to unhealthy outdoor air. A legal loophole in the federal Clean Air Act allows plants built before this legislation’s enactment to spew four to ten times more pollutants than their more efficient, modern counterparts. These older plants release tiny bits of soil and soot, gaseous nitrogen and sulfur, liquid chemicals and aerosols. Recent research shows that these tiny particles can infiltrate the human lung. It is estimated that more that 3,000 lives are cut short annually just in New York State due to particle inhalation.1 Older power plants are also partially responsible for ground level ozone, which is also known as smog. One of the key ingredients in the chemical reaction that yields smog is a gaseous form of nitrogen, a common byproduct of these plants. Ground level ozone presents a threat to the respiratory systems. Smog frequently irritates an asthmatic person, triggering an attack. Children are especially susceptible to this because their delicate respiratory tracts are not fully formed and they breathe proportionately far greater volumes of air.

Another threat to the respiratory systems of children is presented by the large amounts of pesticides used on crops, in the air and for aesthetic purposes. The number of children suffering from asthma has grown by 58percent since 1980. This corresponds with America’s pesticide growing infatuation.2 Although all pesticides are harmful to the lungs, some break down into particularly toxic gases that irritate the respiratory tract. Again, this can lead to an otherwise avoidable asthma attack.

What Progress Has Been Made in New York?
In 2001, legislation was passed expanding the Department of Health’s Statewide Planning And Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) to include emergency room data. This is crucial because many people who suffer asthma attacks are treated in the ER and released. Prior to this reform, the statistics outlining the frequency and concentration of asthma attacks were unavailable. Soon, this data will be available to examine trends that may lead to a better understanding of what causes an attack.. This can supply advisory information for future endeavors that have environmental consequences by providing documentation of the ill effects of air pollution. However, because some of these results are already known, more direct action can already be taken.

What Can Be Done?
One of the most pressing tasks is to reduce the pollution from old power plants by holding them to the same state-level emissions standards adhered to by new plants. Another alternative is to expand the use of natural gas, which poses no threat to children with asthma. Additionally, the most toxic pesticides should be banned. This change is not enough though. New York must explore alternatives to the use of these poisons. Pesticides address the symptoms of a problem and ignore the cause. Choices such as organic farming, which opts for pesticide-free crops, should be promoted.

Related Links:
The American Lung Association of New York State
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

1 Padian, Maria. New York’s Dirty Secret: The Power Plant Pollution Loophole. Environmental Advocates, 1998.

2 Their, Audrey. The Toxic Treadmill: Pesticide Use and Sales in New York State 1997-1998. Environmental Advocates, October 2000, P.4