Can the weather effect asthma and other respiratory illnesses?
Definitely, in the sense that the gases that make up the atmosphere can impact such illnesses. Research shows the closer you live to major highways or other sources of air pollution, the possibility and severity of asthma and respiratory illness increases. Physicians specializing in such illnesses emphasize there is also research supporting the idea that the greater the exposure to pollutants, successful treatment of these conditions becomes less likely. Economists who have studied this issue say the cost of limiting air pollution is far less than the cost of such illnesses aggravated by polluted air. For more information, watch our special program, "Beyond the Forecast-Biometeorology...next Tuesday, May 29th, at 7:30 pm.
