Cleaner Air Linked to Lower Asthma Rates in Kids

TUESDAY, May 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Air pollution levels have been declining for years, and researchers can now show that cleaner air is linked to fewer kids developing asthma.

The new study looked at nine California communities. The researchers found that reductions in certain pollutants were tied to about a 20% reduction in the odds of children developing asthma, a chronic airway disease.

"The findings are really encouraging. A benefit of lower air pollution levels is that the number of new cases of asthma could be reduced," said study author Erika Garcia. She's a postdoctoral scholar at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles.