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Letters: Ozone endangers children with asthma

ISSUE | AIR POLLUTION Ozone endangers children with asthma Ground-level ozone is a powerful pollutant that can trigger dangerous health consequences, including asthma attacks and heart attacks ("Linking environmental, public health," May 15). Doctors see patients' physical distress when ozone levels are high. My particular concern is the effect of air pollution on uniquely vulnerable members of our population: children with asthma.

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ISSUE | AIR POLLUTION

Ozone endangers children with asthma

Ground-level ozone is a powerful pollutant that can trigger dangerous health consequences, including asthma attacks and heart attacks ("Linking environmental, public health," May 15). Doctors see patients' physical distress when ozone levels are high. My particular concern is the effect of air pollution on uniquely vulnerable members of our population: children with asthma.

The health community can play a critical role in educating decision-makers about the need for clean-air safeguards to protect public health. It's why I and medical leaders from around the country participated in a White House roundtable discussion last year that focused on climate change and health and explored how we can lead on this issue. We need to be advocates for our patients, especially the smallest ones, who can't speak for themselves.

|Dr. Tyra Bryant-Stephens, founder, Community Asthma Prevention Program, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia