Health
20 worst places to live if you have asthma, per major health organization
Nearly 28 million people in the U.S. have asthma, or about one in 12 people — and depending on where you live, the condition may be more difficult to manage.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently released its Asthma Capitals report, which ranks the 100 most populated U.S. states based on how challenging they are for people with the chronic respiratory disease.
“This is not a report about ‘bad’ cities for asthma — rather, it is a report that indicates the factors that can make living with asthma more challenging,” Kenneth Mendez, president and CEO of the AAFA in Virginia, told Fox News Digital via email.
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The report designates “asthma capitals” based on the prevalence of the disease, the number of asthma-related emergency room visits, and asthma-related deaths.
“The cities at the top of the report tend to score higher than average in at least two of these categories,” Mendez noted.
“High rates of hospitalization or death due to asthma indicate a lower quality of life for people with asthma in these cities.”
This report also acknowledges that where people live can significantly impact their health, Mendez said.
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“Social, economic and environmental disadvantages play a role in determining asthma outcomes,” he noted.
“Many of the top asthma capitals are also facing major challenges and inequities that lead to health disparities.”
Risk factors for asthma — including air quality, poverty, access to specialists, tobacco policies, use of medications and lack of health insurance — are also factored into the report.
Added Mendez, “We see the report as a way to highlight factors impacting asthma.”
Top 20 ‘asthma capitals’
The AAFA identified the following 20 cities as the top “asthma capitals.”
1. Allentown, Pennsylvania
2. Rochester, New York
3. Detroit, Michigan
4. Springfield, Massachusetts
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Lakefield, Florida
8. Baltimore, Maryland
9. Charleston, South Carolina
10. Providence, Rhode Island
11. Fresno, California
12. Richmond, Virginia
13. Greenville, South Carolina
14. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
15. Memphis, Tennessee
16. Spokane, Washington
17. St. Louis, Missouri
18. Poughkeepsie, New York
19. New York, New York
20. Columbus, Ohio
The full list of 100 top asthma capitals is listed in the report, which can be accessed from the AAFA’s website.
6 tips for those living in an ‘asthma capital’
For those with asthma who live in one of the more challenging locations, the AAFA recommends taking the following steps to make the condition more tolerable.
1. Follow an Asthma Action Plan
To keep asthma under control, this plan should include information about medications, ways to recognize worsening symptoms and steps to take in an emergency.
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2. Get recommended vaccines
Mendez noted that getting vaccines for respiratory infections such as the flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and pneumonia can help to manage asthma symptoms.
3. Take steps to manage allergies and indoor air quality
“We spend 90% of our time indoors, so it is important to take steps to improve indoor air quality,” Mendez told Fox News Digital.
“These can include using certified asthma- and allergy-friendly air cleaners, and ensuring that cleaning products reduce allergens and are free from airway irritants.”
4. Follow infection protection protocol
This may include wearing a mask in crowded places, washing hands properly and avoiding contact with sick people, according to Mendez.
“We spend 90% of our time indoors, so it is important to take steps to improve indoor air quality.”
5. Adhere to a healthy lifestyle
Getting the optimal amount of rest, drinking plenty of water and eating healthy foods can help make asthma more tolerable, per the AAFA.
6. Maintain contact with an asthma specialist
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“There are treatment options available that can help prevent the risk of an asthma attack, thus making it possible to live with this chronic lung disease,” Mendez said.
“Patients should speak with their health care team to determine what plan is best for them.”
Health
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Health
Federal judge orders EPA further regulate fluoride in drinking water due to concerns over lowered IQ in kids
It has been added to municipal water for decades, but a federal judge in California has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further regulate fluoride because high levels could pose “an unreasonable risk” to the intellectual development of children.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled Tuesday that the scientific evidence of fluoride’s health risks when ingested at current prescribed levels requires stricter regulation under the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The act provides a legal pathway for citizens to petition the EPA to consider whether an industrial chemical presents health risks.
Chen, in his 80-page ruling, wrote there is “little dispute” over whether fluoride is hazardous and ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
“Indeed, EPA’s own expert agrees that fluoride is hazardous at some level of exposure,” the judge said. “And ample evidence establishes that a mother’s exposure to fluoride during pregnancy is associated with IQ decrements in her offspring.”
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“Between 1981 and 1984, fluoride’s association with adverse effects including osteosclerosis, enamel fluorosis, and psychological and behavioral problems was contested,” Chen said.
At the same time, he wrote that the court’s finding “does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health,” Chen said. “Rather, as required by the Amended TSCA, the Court finds there is an unreasonable risk of such injury, a risk sufficient to require the EPA to engage with a regulatory response.
“This order does not dictate precisely what that response must be. Amended TSCA leaves that decision in the first instance to the EPA. One thing the EPA cannot do, however, in the face of this Court’s finding, is to ignore that risk,” Chen added.
“If the Court finds anew that the chemical at issue presents an unreasonable risk, it then orders the EPA to engage in rulemaking regarding the chemical,” the judge said. “The EPA is afforded in the first instance the authority to respond; regulatory actions can range from requiring a mere warning label to banning the chemical.”
An EPA spokesperson, Jeff Landis, told The Associated Press that the agency was reviewing the decision but offered no further comment.
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