Today, his words make most of us redden from shame. Appalling environmental damage serves as a continual reminder of the soft underbelly accompanying our nation's industrial strength, and the ones suffering most are children. When today's child, particularly an asthmatic, goes outside to play, he is literally gambling with his respiratory health. According to the President's Task Force on Asthma and the Environment, one child in 13 suffers from asthma, and the numbers continually increase. Numerous causes for asthma exist with a host of triggers running rampant in our environment.
Air pollution is a well-known trigger for asthmatic children.
When outdoors, children play vigorously, feeling freed from the confines of the home. During strenuous games, they tend to breathe more rapidly, inhaling more pollutants per pound of body weight than adults ever do. And children notoriously do not have good judgment about their health. Wheezing or shortness of breath may not stop a terrific softball game or soccer match. Ozone, a major contributor to air pollution, is considered a leading outdoor asthma trigger.