United States                       Indoor Environments Division                EPA 402-F-04-019
           Environmental Protection Agency        Office of Air and Radiation (6609J)            May 2007
Asthma is a rapidly growing public health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention:

• 22 million people, including 6.5 million children, have asthma.

       * Asthma prevalence is higher among families with lower incomes.

• 12 million people report having an asthma attack in the past year.

• Asthma accounts for nearly 15 million outpatient clinic visits, and nearly 2 million emergency department
  visits each year.

• African Americans continue to have higher rates of asthma emergency department visits, hospitalizations,
  and deaths than do Caucasians:

        * The rate of emergency department visits is 350% higher.
        * The hospitalization  rate  is 240% higher.
        * The asthma death rate is 200% higher.

• Approximately 2 million Hispanics in the U.S. have asthma and Puerto Ricans are disproportionately
  impacted:

        *The rate of asthma among Puerto Ricans is 125% higher than non-Hispanic white people and
           80% higher than non-Hispanic black people.
        * The prevalence of asthma attacks is highest among Puerto Ricans.

Asthma in Children:

• Asthma is the most common serious  chronic disease of childhood.

• Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children under 15.

• Asthma in children is the cause of seven million physician visits and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations.

        * Asthma accounts for one-third of all pediatric emergency room visits and is the fourth-most
           common cause of pediatric visits to the doctor's office.

        * An average of one out of every 13 school-aged child has asthma.

        * Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism from a chronic childhood condition.

        * 13 million school days are missed each year due to asthma.

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The Cost of Asthma:

• Annual expenditures for health and lost productivity due to asthma are estimated at $16 billion, according
   to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.


Asthma and the Environment: Research by EPA and others has shown that

• Dust mites, molds, cockroaches, pet dander, and secondhand smoke trigger asthma attacks.

• Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause asthma in pre-school aged children.

• Exposure to dust mites can cause asthma.

• Ozone and particle pollution can cause asthma attacks.

       * When ozone levels are high, more people with asthma have attacks that require a doctor's
           attention.
       * Ozone makes people more sensitive to asthma triggers such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites,
           and mold.

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