Environmental injustice linked to children’s asthma in South Bronx

Have you ever seen a child having a serious asthma attack? Asthma is a chronic pulmonary condition that impacts 7-10 percent of all children in the United States. During a severe asthma emergency, the person affected has extreme difficulty breathing and may turn blue in the face and experience extreme anxiety.

Asthma is a serious problem for anyone affected. However, research has long indicated that working-class children,

especially Black and Latino, have higher rates of hospitalization for asthma-related problems than wealthier children. New research shows that the higher hospitalization rate may be caused by increased pollution levels in working-class neighborhoods.

Researchers at New York University recruited children with asthma at four schools in the South Bronx, a neighborhood with high levels of asthma hospitalization. The children carried mobile air quality monitors attached to rolling backpacks, and kept a diary of asthma symptoms.

The N.Y.U. study found that the children were exposed to high levels of air pollutants in their neighborhoods. It determined that kids in the South Bronx were twice as likely to attend a school near a highway as were children in other parts of the city. The South Bronx features miles of expressways, as well as more than a dozen waste-transfer stations, a sewage treatment plant and heavy commercial truck traffic.

The children had a much higher rate of exposure to airborne particles like dust, soot and smoke that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. These particles are small enough to get lodged in the lungs.

Earlier studies have linked pollution of this sort to respiratory problems, decreased lung function, nonfatal heart attacks and aggravated asthma, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Clearly, children who currently have asthma need access to high-quality medical care to help them manage the condition and lead a healthy life. However, the research on pollution and asthma indicates that more serious medical problems can be prevented by reducing children’s exposure to pollution and improving air quality.

There are many creative solutions which could be brought to bear by community leaders and public health experts working together. But in this racist, capitalist society, the motive and the will to make the needed changes is lacking. The health of working-class and oppressed children takes a back seat to the needs of capitalist industry to transport commodities for profit.

We need to fight today to make changes that will improve the lives of children. But we also need to fight to overturn the system that puts profits ahead of healthy breathing.