Newsletters Every year, close to 335,000 Americans die of lung disease. Lung disease is America's number three killer, responsible for one in seven deaths.
Children are at even greater risk.
Because they breathe in more air per pound of body weight, they spend more time outdoors, and are less likely to be aware of warning signs. Asthma deaths, like asthma itself, have been rising in both numbers and rate. The evidence continues to mount about air pollution as a trigger for asthma episodes. Acidic particles, sulfur dioxide, and ozone have been linked to increases in patients' medication use, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions. In fact, high-pollution conditions are hazardous to the healthy, as well, especially to children playing outdoors.