Air pollution harms the health of everyone exposed to it, but a new study says communities of color are disproportionately harmed by dirty air.

Smog causes nearly 8 times higher childhood asthma rates and 1.3 times higher risk of premature death among minority communities compared to white communities, researchers found.

These elevated risks are a matter of geography, said study co-...

If all cars and trucks sold in America were "zero emission" by 2040 and the country's electric grid was also powered by clean energy, nearly 2.8 million child asthma attacks would be prevented annually, a new report finds.

The American Lung Association (ALA) report also estimates that with cleaner air, 508 infant lives ...

A popular asthma inhaler was discontinued on Jan. 1, and the business move has left families scrambling to find a replacement for their kids.

Flovent was one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for childhood asthma, but maker GSK took it off shelves to replace it with a generic version, fluticasone.

The problem is that many insurance companies haven't added fluticasone to their li...

People threatened by accidental exposure to foods they're allergic to may have a new weapon of defense: On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the use of the asthma drug Xolair to help prevent anaphylactic reactions.

Xolair (omalizumab) is an injected drug and is not meant as a substitute for EpiPens or other anaphylaxis rescue remedies, the agency stressed.

Inste...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is cracking down on air pollution.

Specifically, the agency introduced a tougher air quality standard that takes aim at fine particulate matter -- the tiny bits of pollution that can penetrate the lungs -- by lowering the allowable annual concentration of the deadly pollutant that each state can have.

"This final air qua...

Deaths related to ozone air pollution will rise significantly around the world during the next two decades due to climate change, a new study warns.

Cities in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa can expect to see ozone-related deaths increase by as many as 6,200 fatalities a year by 2054 unless humans rein in global warming, researchers project.

"This paper is further ...

Marijuana has a reputation for being harmless, but frequent tokers are more likely to suffer from asthma, a new study shows.

Asthma is more common among U.S. adults who've used weed within the past 30 days, researchers reported recently in the journal Preventive Medicine.

Further, the odds...

The American Lung Association's annual report on smoking blasts President Joe Biden for failing to finalize rules that would end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Last month, the Biden administration announced it was delaying until March a ban on menthol cigarettes that has been in the works for years.

In response, the lung association's "State of Tobacco Control"r...

Fetal exposure to opioids may change a baby's immune system, triggering a rise in risks for eczema and asthma through early childhood, new research shows.

Children born to women who used opioids during pregnancy had much higher rates of eczema, as well as conditions such as "diaper rash," during infancy, Australian researchers report.

These children also went on to have significantl...

An American's income and ethnicity could play a role in how clean the air is that they breathe, a new study finds.

Air pollution emissions have fallen more in wealthier areas, and less in areas with larger Hispanic or American Indian populations.

Overall, U.S. air pollution emissions have decreased substantially, but the magnitude of the change varies based on demographics, the rese...

Drugs already used by millions to lower cholesterol might someday have a new role: Relieving asthma and COPD.

That's the hope of a new line of research underway at the University of California, Davis.

A study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health is seeking to determine whether a "statin inhaler" might reduce the airway inflammation that makes breathing difficult for folk...

A popular asthma inhaler is being discontinued Jan. 1, fueling concerns that patients may have trouble getting insurance coverage for alternatives.

GSK, maker of the branded inhaler Flovent, will make "an authorized generic" version of the drug, but without the same branding.

While doctors say it will work just as well, it doesn't app...

Kids are home for the holidays, but the wonders of the season can pose problems for children with asthma.

Sources of joy like Christmas trees, a Yule log burning or Grandma's pet dog can all be unexpected asthma triggers, warns the American Lung Association.

Parents should talk with their kid's doctor about creating an asthma action plan based on their plans for the holidays, the AL...

If you're one of the 50 million Americans with asthma or allergies, 2024 is another year to redouble efforts to manage them.

But how?

"It's not always easy to get allergies and asthma under control,"allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (...

Biologic drugs to treat asthma have been around for two decades, but a surprising number of family doctors still aren't prescribing them to kids and adults.

A new survey found that more than two in five primary care docs (42%) are unfamiliar with asthma biologics, according to findings presented at this month's American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting in Anaheim, ...

A young woman working at a Massachusetts cannabis-processing facility who developed new-onset asthma and later died of a fatal asthma attack is the first such fatality in the burgeoning industry, a new report finds.

Researchers believe large amounts of allergen-laden dust created at these facilities could pose real respiratory dangers to workers.

When it comes to asthma and the dang...

New research underscores the harms of e-cigarettes, showing that vaping increases the risk of asthma in teens who have never smoked cigarettes.

Although e-cigarettes have fewer toxins than regular cigarettes, they still contain a mixture of harmful chemicals and raise the risk of respiratory diseases, researchers say.

"Increasing knowledge about the harmful effects of e-cigarette us...

When Canadian wildfire smoke shrouded the New York City skyline and spread to parts of New England this summer, millions of East Coast residents saw firsthand just how pervasive it can be.

Now, a new study quantifies exactly what wildfire smoke is doing to hard-fought gains in cleaning up the air, even in Eastern states not typically affected by wildfires.

"Since 2000, there's been ...

Certain combinations of bacteria found in dust in children's day care settings may have an impact on their young lungs.

Researchers are trying to understand whether attending day care can affect children's lung health. Their aim is to lower the risk of asthma.

"We find mixtures of different bacteria and other microbes living everywhere -- outside, inside our homes, on our skin and ...

Babies who have more mature microbes in their gut are less likely to have allergy-related wheezing and asthma in early childhood, according to new research.

"Our studies on the Barwon Infant Study showed that a more mature infant gut microbiota at one year of age...

Smoking may not only harm the smoker and those who breathe in the secondhand fumes, but also their future children.

New research suggests that boys who smoke in their early teens risk passing on harmful genetic traits to future children. The study probed the genetic profi...

When factoring in why children get asthma, a child's neighborhood may be important to consider.

New research finds that living in a neighborhood during early childhood that has better access to resources was associated with lower asthma incidence. Better resourc...

Smoke from Canadian wildfires sent high numbers of people suffering from asthma attacks to America's emergency rooms this spring and summer, according to two new reports.

From April 30 to August 4, 2023, smoke from out-of-control wildfires in Canada increased emergency room visits for asthma by 17% over average, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

Living through days of smoky air from Canadian wildfires in June was unpleasant for New York City residents, but new data shows it wasn't as immediately concerning for their lungs as feared.

The research finds breathing-related hospital visits weren't much worse in the city on these days than when pollen is especially high, though longer-term impacts aren't so clear.

"Thankfully, th...

Research into a possible link between childhood health problems and natural gas wells in western Pennsylvania is wrapping up with some answers.

Children who lived near these wells were more likely to develop rare lymphoma, the research found.

In addition, residents of all ages near the wells had increased risk of severe asthma reactions, the Associated Press reported.