Asthmatic children are especially powerless over their exposure to secondhand smoke.
Nearly 30 percent of Georgia's asthmatic children live in homes where one or more parents smoke. Scientists do not know what causes asthma and there is no cure for the disease. Breathing passages of asthma sufferers are nearly always inflamed or hyperreactive. This creates a setting for suffocating spasms brought on by a broad range of triggers that vary from one person to another. These triggers can include tobacco smoke, molds, pollen, dust, pets, exercise, cold air, air pollutants or stress.