{"id":4985,"date":"2014-04-22T12:45:38","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T17:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=4985"},"modified":"2025-06-05T12:10:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T17:10:58","slug":"why-latinos-are-disproportionately-affected-by-asthma-and-what-we-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2014\/04\/22\/why-latinos-are-disproportionately-affected-by-asthma-and-what-we-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Latinos are disproportionately affected by asthma — and what we can do"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Para leer en <\/i>Espa\u00f1ol\u00a0haga clic aqu\u00ed<\/a>)<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

This post was co-authored by <\/i>Rachel Shaffer<\/i><\/a> \u00a0and Declan Kingland, National Health Programs Coordinator for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).<\/i><\/p>\n

Today in the United States, Latinos are three times more likely to die from asthma than other racial or ethnic groups. Latino children are 40 percent more likely to die from asthma than non-Latino whites, and nearly 1 in 10 Latino children under the age of 18 suffer from this chronic respiratory illness. Addressing the dangerous indoor and outdoor air pollution that is linked to asthma is critical for the health of Latino communities \u2013 and for all Americans.<\/p>\n

Socioeconomics<\/b><\/p>\n

Latinos are one of the poorest demographics in the United States, with roughly 1 in 4 Latinos living under the poverty level. Many Latinos also face challenges due to limited English-language proficiency, and in some cases, low levels of education. These issues can lead Latinos, particularly new immigrants, to low-paying jobs, often in the fields of agriculture, construction, and service.<\/p>\n

Too often, these jobs expose workers to serious respiratory hazards from both indoor and outdoor air pollution, yet they frequently provide no healthcare benefits. For example, the toxic chemical formaldehyde<\/i>, which is linked to asthma, can be found in glues, insulation, and wood products to which construction workers are disproportionately exposed. Asthma-related toxics can also be found in paints, cleaning products, carpets, and foam cushions.<\/p>\n

Housing<\/b><\/p>\n

Low-paying jobs held by Latinos lead to low-income families, and these families can be at even greater risk for asthma if their housing is substandard or if their home is located near major roadways, factories, or power plants, which produce air pollutants that can exacerbate asthma. People with asthma are especially sensitive to the pollutants released from cars, buses, heavy machinery, factories, and power plants, including particulate matter (soot), ground-level ozone (smog), carbon monoxide, and more.<\/p>\n

Nearly 1 in 2 Latinos in the U.S. live in counties that frequently violate ground-level ozone standards.\u00a0 Latinos are also 165% more likely to live in counties with unhealthy levels of particulate matter pollution than non-Latino whites, and nearly 2 in 5 Latinos lives within 30 miles of a power plant. Asthma triggers can also be found inside the home<\/a> \u2013 from ethanolamines<\/i> found in cleaning products, to bisphenol-A (<\/i>BPA<\/i><\/a>)<\/i>, a toxic chemical found in plastic products and food can linings.\u00a0 Some asthma-linked toxic chemicals are even found in personal creams and lotions.<\/p>\n

Healthcare<\/b><\/p>\n

Statistics show that Latinos face disproportionate exposures to asthma-exacerbating indoor and outdoor air pollution. At the same time, Latinos face added challenges when seeking adequate healthcare. This is due in part to the language, educational, and economic barriers mentioned previously, which can limit access to or awareness of available health care resources that may be available. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 Latinos lacks health insurance.<\/p>\n

These barriers to health care access can have significant consequences:<\/p>\n