Washington has High Asthma Rate

The U.S. capital city has the highest rate of asthma in the nation, says the American Lung Association of Washington.

The U.S. capital city has the highest rate of asthma in the nation, says the American Lung Association of Washington. The association, which observed World Asthma Day Monday along with the DC Asthma Coalition, said an estimated 10,000 children in Washington suffer from the disease. “Asthma is the leading serious chronic illness in children and the leading cause of school absences attributed to chronic conditions,” the association said in a statement. “Asthma is the leading serious chronic illness in children and the leading cause of school absences attributed to chronic conditions,” the statement said. On April 29th, the American Lung Association released its 2004 state of the air report. The mid-Atlantic region, comprised of the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, received an F rating for its air quality. In addition to a poor ozone score, the region had poor grades for both short and year-round particle pollution, ranking it the 25th worst county in the nation for short-term particle pollution levels. (Source: United Press International, May 2004)