BETHLEHEM, Pa. — For the second year in a row, Allentown has been ranked worst in the nation for those suffering from asthma.
“Nearly 28 million people in the United States have asthma,” said Kenneth Mendez, president and CEO of Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, or AAFA. “For people with asthma, this report makes clear that where they live plays a significant role in their quality of life.
“Federal, state and local policymakers should use this report as a guide to address climate change, indoor air quality and access to medical care. Addressing these issues can go a long way to help improve the lives of people with asthma.”
The AAFA each year publishes a ranking of the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across the country, using factors like asthma prevalence, as well as emergency department visits for and deaths due to asthma.
The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA, referred to in the report as Allentown, includes the greater Lehigh Valley.
It’s not only the second year in a row, but the third time the Valley has topped the list. And, the new report comes just months after the area was ranked 11th for the most challenging places to live with pollen allergies.
“Allentown is the most challenging city in the U.S. to live with asthma due to its higher-than-average asthma prevalence and higher-than-average ED visits for asthma."Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
“Allentown is the most challenging city in the U.S. to live with asthma due to its higher-than-average asthma prevalence and higher-than-average ED visits for asthma,” AAFA officials said in a news release.
Risk factors that impact the rankings include poverty, air quality, access to specialist medical care, pollen allergy, medicine use, tobacco policies and lack of health insurance.
“This year’s Asthma Capitals report highlights the persistence of inequity in our nation’s healthcare system,” said Melanie Carver, chief mission officer at AAFA. “We continue to see cities with high levels of poverty disproportionately bear the burden of environmental injustice.
“Climate change undeniably impacts all of us, but policymakers should note the conditions that foster the worst asthma outcomes: structural racism, high exposure to air pollution, and inadequate healthcare.”
Here is the top 10 list, according to the AAFA:
- Allentown
- Rochester, N.Y.
- Detroit, Mich.
- Springfield, Mass.
- Philadelphia, Pa.
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Lakeland, Fla.
- Baltimore
- Charleston, S.C.
- Providence, R.I.
It’s been more than a year since Canadian wildfire smoke blew into the region, choking residents and giving the area some of the worst air quality in the world. It exacerbated already poor air quality from the region’s prolific traffic.
Since then, the leaders from both Northampton and Lehigh counties launched Lehigh Valley Breathes, a $100,000 project aiming to monitor air quality amid emissions from the trucking and warehousing industry.
