We need policymakers as partners to achieve healthy air. It’s hard telling my patients they shouldn’t exercise outside on bad air quality days. Air pollution can trigger scary symptoms for individuals with asthma, and it can prevent them from doing what they love. Seeing a disappointed asthmatic in my office due to poor air quality when he should have been at lacrosse practice is heart-breaking. I work with my asthma patients to help them lead lives that are as active as possible. While physicians can support their asthma patients with good care and medicine, they need state and federal policymakers as partners in making sure the air is healthy. For my patients, healthy air can be the difference between a winning goal and a trip to the emergency room.
