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Asthma Research Strategy
Citation:
U.S. EPA. Asthma Research Strategy. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-01/061, 2002.
Impact/Purpose:
Since the Environmental Protection Agency is required to set pollutant standards to protect susceptible populations such as athmatics, a coordinated research effort to study environmental pollutants that influence the incidence and severity of asthma is needed. Therefore, an asthma strategy has been developed to help plan intramural and extramural research efforts by EPA's office of Research and Development to address the significant issues of exposures, effects, risk assessment, and risk management of environmental pollutants relevant to asthma.
Description:
In individuals susceptible to asthma, common aeroallergens can cause airway inflammation marked by episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, mucus secretion, chest tightness, and cough. While there is a definite genetic component to asthma, triggers include house dust mites, animal secretions, molds, tobacco smoke, and other air pollutants. In recognition of its responsibility to set standards that protect susceptible populations such as asthmatics, the Asthma Research Strategy discusses future research efforts aimed at addressing the following issues:
- factors contributing to the induction and exacerbation of asthma (e.g., combustion-related products, bioaerosols, and air toxics);
- susceptibility factors contributing to asthma (e.g., genetics, health status, socioeconomic status, residence and exposure history, and lifestyle and activity patterns);
- and risk assessment and risk management of environmental pollutants relevant to asthma.