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BackgroundAsthma and its symptoms, including wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing, can be triggered by exposure to outdoor air pollutants. In addition to triggering asthma, preliminary evidence suggests that high levels of outdoor air pollution contribute to the development of new cases of asthma. While researchers continue to gather information about the causes of asthma, asthma rates continue to climb.Oil refineries and factories as well as cars, trucks, and buses, produce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide—gases that contribute to the formation of ozone. Ozone is known to damage lung tissue and cause breathing problems including asthma and coughing. In addition, diesel truck fumes, dust from farming, and pollution from other sources such as wood-burning stoves contain particulate matter—tiny particles that can be inhaled into the lungs and can lead to lung damage, breathing problems, and asthma attacks. Diesel particulate has been shown to be particularly harmful to health. Everyone is impacted by air pollution. Pollution in neighboring, or even distant areas, can affect a community’s ozone levels. Yet, not all of us are impacted equally. Some groups suffer disproportionate consequences when it comes to asthma. Environmental justice researchers have demonstrated that low-income communities and communities of color face higher levels of pollution than other communities.
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