The 10 Worst Cities in the U.S. for Asthma
June 19, 2012; 12:03 PM
Care2.com
On World Asthma Day, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America named Memphis, Tenn., the new Asthma Capital of the U.S. According to the AAFA, more than 300 million people worldwide are living with asthma and nearly 25 million of them live here in the U.S.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine describes asthma as a disorder that causes the airways of lungs to swell and narrow, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.
Top Asthma Capitals for 2012
To create their top 10 cities list for 2012, researchers looked at 12 sets of data for the 100 largest U.S. cities. The cities were ranked based on factors like air pollution, ozone days, pollen counts, medication use, poverty rates and public smoking laws.
1. Memphis, Tenn.
2. New Haven, Conn.
3. Knoxville, Tenn.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
5. Chattanooga, Tenn.
7. St. Louis, Mo.
8. Oklahoma City, Okla.
9. McAllen, Texas
10. Allentown, Pa.
Next: What should you do if you live in an asthma capital? Where does your city rank?