EPA and the American Lung Association of Georgia Join Forces in Recognition of World Asthma Day.

Business Editors & Environmental Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2001

The United States Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with the American Lung Association of Georgia sponsored a program today in recognition of "World Asthma Day."

The event was held in the Atrium of Atlanta City Hall at 10:00 a.m. Greg Pridgeon, Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Bill Campbell's Office spoke along with Winston Smith, Regional Director of EPA's Air, Pesticides and Toxic Management Division in Atlanta and Chuck White, Director/CEO of American Lung Association of Georgia. Mayor Campbell signed a proclamation declaring May 3rd as "World Asthma Day in Atlanta." The theme for this year's celebration is "Joining Together Against Asthma." This theme was chosen in recognition of the need for people with asthma to have access to timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and education to help control their condition.

EPA's strategy takes a preventive approach to asthma based on the reduction and control of indoor environmental pollutants known to cause or trigger asthma. This strategy focuses on populations disproportionately affected by asthma and at most risk to have asthma, namely children and low-income populations. EPA's proposed asthma goal is to reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants that trigger asthma attacks for 1 million children and 200,000 low-income adults with asthma. The overall goal is to reduce exposure for 2.5 million asthmatics by 2005.

In 1998, the Global Initiative for Asthma and the European Respiratory Society organized the first-ever World Asthma Day, supported by the World Health Organization. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of all the organizations that participated, World Asthma Day is continuing to expand the horizons of asthma care in more than 150 countries worldwide.

The goals for the day are to:

-- Increase awareness of asthma as a global healthcare problem

-- Communicate scientific progress being made

-- Involve public authorities and professional and patient organizations in
implementation of effective management programs

For further information on World Asthma Day or Asthma in general, contact: Linda Thomas, EPA Asthma Coordinator, 404-562-9152 or Zenda Bowie of the Georgia Chapter of the American Lung Association, 770-434-5864 or you may surf the web: www.epa.gov/iaq/asthma or www.lungusa.org.