Environmental asthma is a complex disease which is aggravated by environmental components. Asthma symptoms include difficulty breathing, coughing and wheezing. Environmental components such as tobacco smoke, ozone, allergens and car exhaust fumes are common environmental asthma triggers. In this post we take a look at some of the worst states to live in if you have environmental asthma:

1. Michigan
Statistics indicate that as many as 1 million residents in Michigan have asthma., 200,000 of which are children. What this means is approximately 11% of the population of the state have asthma. To put things in retrospect, while adult lifetime asthma prevalence rates across the country is roughly 8.5% on average, asthma prevalence rates in the state was 15.4%. The problem with this state is that it’s filled with an abundance of factories as a result of the tax cuts that it provides businesses for operating in the state. Many people live within close proximity to factories. As you may already know, factories and poor air quality go hand-in-hand. Some residents have reported that certain days were so terrible that they had to remain indoor for an entire season.

2. Pennsylvania
This state is known for its abundance of power plants and steel mills. Unfortunately, a vast majority of the population live within close proximity of a power plant, steel mill and other large structural sources of air pollution. Studies have suggested that the childhood asthma rate in Pennsylvania is almost 3 times higher than state average. In fact, one study which was conducted by Dr. Deborah Gentile, a medical director at Allergy and Asthma Wellness center, observed that as much as 22.5% of children in Allegheny County, had asthma.

3. Virginia
Multiple cities in this state have been named the asthma capital of the year for multiple years. In fact, Richmond, VA was named ‘Asthma Capital’ for two years in a row. And, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America regards Virginia as being one of the most challenging places to live if you have asthma. Experts theorize that asthma rates are particularly high in this state because of its slow adoption of ‘100% smoke-free’ laws that other states have made such as to not smoke indoors at public places. Other factors include high levels of ozone and air pollution.

4. Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a combination of environmental factors that contribute to the state’s high asthma related emergency visits. What makes this state so bad for asthma sufferers is that the state ranks high when it comes to asthma-related deaths. The state also has a high seasonal pollen count which triggers asthma attacks in most people. In addition to that, a vast amount of the population live in condensed metropolitan areas where poor air quality and poverty is prevalent.

5. Kentucky
The state consistently ranks high among the worst states for seasonal allergies. This makes going to Kentucky especially risky for people with allergic asthma. The bluegrass which gave the state its nickname is primarily used as food for horses. But, the cultivation of the plant, leads to the release of pollen. And, bluegrass naturally gives off more pollen than any other type of grass. Multiple cities within the state rank high for being the smoggiest cities in the country. In fact, the air quality in this state is so bad that they established an air quality alert system, something of which many states do not have or need.

6. Ohio
According to data that was gathered by the AAFA, Ohio experienced the six highest usage rates of asthma medicines. These are medicines that were designed to stop serious asthma attacks. The medication helps to relax and open airways. Experts believe that Cleveland experiences high asthma medicine usage rates because it has a poverty rate of over 10% and because of poor air quality.