Nurses to Congress: Blocking EPA Will Worsen Asthma

Today the National Association of School Nurses, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and Health Care Without Harm released a new report documenting in stark terms the human and economic costs of asthma to emphasize the very real health threat posted by Congressional efforts to prevent EPA from reducing air pollution.

There's a lot of info in this report, so here's a quick summary:

• More than 688,000 children had to go to the emergency room because of asthma in 2008. 
• Asthma episodes keep children out of school (accounting for about 10.5 million lost school days in 2008) and take adults out of the workplace (accounting for more than 14 million lost work days in 2008). 
• Asthma was responsible for nearly 2 million emergency-room visits in 2007. In severe cases, asthma episodes can be deadly; in 2007 alone, more than 3,400 people in the United States died as a result of asthma.
• The total estimated incremental direct cost of asthma in the United States is more than $53 billion a year, nearly half of which is paid by taxpayer-funded federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. 

What's the connection to Congress?

As Brenda Afzal, MS, RN, U.S. climate policy coordinator, Health Care Without Harm says:

Congress is literally talking about taking the breath away from millions of American children and adults. Because they have a disease that is very susceptible to pollution, Americans with asthma provide members of Congress with 24 million compelling reasons for the EPA to be allowed to proceed with needed updates to federal Clean Air Act standards.  By siding with polluters and against their constituents with asthma, Congress is ignoring the public health and financial implications of pollution-related illness. 

And why does clean air matter? Accordign to Sandi Delack, RN, BSN, M ED, CSNT, president of the National Association of School Nurses:

With cleaner air, we could reduce the costs associated with asthma episodes--funds that could be better used toward education and wellness programs, to make sure all children succeed academically.

The report also features in-depth information on asthma conditions and costs in 10 states, information particularly relevant today as the House and Senate are voting now on the kinds of proposals these groups are warning against.

So let's lay out what's at stake:

• In Senator Kirk's State of Illinois, over 750,000 kids have asthma; and over 30,000 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.
• In Senator Snowe and Collins' State of Maine, over 25,000 kids have asthma; and over 2,500 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.
• In Senator Stabenow and Levin's State of Michigan, over 225,000 kids have asthma; and over 22,000 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.
• In Senator Klobuchar's State of Minnesota, over 118,000 kids have asthma; and over 11,000 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.
• In Senator Brown's State of Ohio, over 250,000 kids have asthma; and over 25,000 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.
• In Senator Casey's State of Pennsylvania, over 260,000 kids have asthma; and over 25,000 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.
• In Senator Kohl's State of Wisconsin, over 123,000 kids have asthma; and over 12,000 emergency room visits were needed to treat kids struggling to breathe.

Well, rather than go through them all, here's a handy map:

If you aren't sure what the connection is between Congress blocking EPA from reducing carbon and asthma, here's how the report explains it:

Science has established that air pollution from cars, factories, and power plants is among the major causes of asthma episodes.  Air pollutants that can contribute to asthma include ground-level ozone smog, sulfur dioxide, particle pollution, and nitrogen oxides. 

Carbon dioxide pollution can also worsen asthma in several ways, such as by driving climate change (rising temperatures increase ozone smog concentrations) and by increasing production of airborne allergens like ragweed pollen (which is another trigger for asthma episodes).

Legislation that would greatly reduce the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce these air pollutants under the Clean Air Act would prevent improvements in air quality – stopping reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide, fine particles, soot, and other pollutants – and would make it harder for children and adults with respiratory problems such as asthma to breathe. 

Want to help? Call your Senators at 1-877-573-7693, and our system will connect you with the right Senate office. And urge them to stand up for public health and against polluters by voting against dirty air legislation.