New Study Shows Poor, Minorities At Greater Asthma Risk

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Credit Joe Moore / Valley Public Radio

Polluted skies over northeast Fresno (file photo)

A new study from UCLA and the state Air Resources Board finds that minorities and other low-income populations face greater incidents of asthma than the rest of the population.

The study from the Chronic Disease Program at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research connects increased exposure to pollution with a rise in everything from asthma attacks to work absences and emergency room visits.

The study also found that those living within 750 feet of busy roads and highways had increases in asthma-related trips to the emergency room.

About 3.5 million adults and 900,000 children in California have been diagnosed with asthma. Millions more suffer from asthma-like breathing problems.