Jones, of the Lung Association, said asthma is the number one reason children miss school and that one-fourth of Arizona's 320,000 asthmatics are children. Pima County is number three in the state for illness and death due to asthma, trailing only Yuma and Maricopa counties, she said. It's hard for us to measure those sorts of issues. In addition, according to a survey done last year, at least one family member in 52 percent of Pima County households suffered from breathing or vision problems because of air pollution. The American Lung Association also reports that as many as 40 percent of Tucsonans have increased vulnerability to illnesses associated with air pollution.
Lung disease is the third-leading cause of death in Arizona.
Medical researchers are finding indications there might be a connection between air pollution and both immune-system disorders and allergies. But instead of prevention efforts, pharmaceutical companies sell inhalers like hotcakes, and research money pours into products to help us cope with our respiratory illnesses. Despite the mounting evidence from around the world about the hazards of air pollution, especially airborne particulates, politicians in Pima County give the problem very little attention. Not a cent of local general fund tax money is invested in the effort. At the same time, Tucson is following the same old urban automobile model used in Los Angeles and other sprawling Western cities.