According to the American Lung Association, Fresno County has 15,455 pediatric asthma cases and 26,237 adults with asthma. The San Joaquin Valley also is one of the most polluted areas of the state, with a known particulate problem. Particulates are tiny specks of matter less than one-seventh the width of a human hair that can be inhaled and become lodged in the lungs, causing an asthmatic's airways to produce excess mucus and become inflamed. The environmental group's report attributed an estimated 100 deaths per 100,000 people to particulate pollution in Tulare County. Ozone forms when sunlight bakes hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions released from the tailpipes of automobiles.
Ozone is known to be an irritant for asthmatics and people with bronchitis.
The particulate study will measure levels of fine particles in the air and determine what generates the pollution and ways to control the problem. The Fresno asthmatic children's study will evaluate health effects of particulate levels obtained from ARB monitoring sites in the community as well as air samples taken in children's homes and from personal air monitors worn by some of the asthmatic children while at school and at play. The asthmatic children's study is part of the ARB's Vulnerable Populations Research Program, which was established after the Legislature and Gov. Davis in June 1999 authorized the ARB to identify and protect vulnerable populations that may be at greater risk of air pollution-related health effects. Children with asthma are one of the most vulnerable to the health effects of pollution. The ARB will review the study in 2003 before approval to fund the remainder, said ARB spokesman Richard Varenchik.