Asthma attacks up 14 percent on bad air days

East Valley kids with asthma have been hit with a double whammy in the last few days.

Not only has it been cold in the mornings, which Valley doctors say can aggravate symptoms, but Maricopa County has had two high pollution advisories this week, Sunday and Tuesday. An air quality health watch has been issued for today.

A study released Tuesday confirms that asthma attacks and asthma symptoms increase nearly 14 percent on days with elevated levels of particulate matter pollution. That same particulate matter sparks the high pollution advisories issued by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the No Burn Day restrictions issued by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department.

Particulate matter pollution is 10 microns in diameter or smaller. Sources include dust from leaf blowers, windblown dust from agricultural fields, smoke and soot from fireplaces and outdoor burning, and diesel exhaust and other vehicle emissions.

The study, released by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, was conducted by Arizona State University in 2005-2006.

It looked at more than 5,000 asthma “events” among children ages 5-18 from Jan. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2006. It compared hospital and emergency-room reports with air quality data.

The study looked at children living in an area bounded by Dunlap Road on the north, 52nd Street on the east, Elliot Road on the south and 75th Avenue on the west. This is where the particulate matter monitors are located.

“No one really knows what causes asthma in children, but we do know that air pollution can trigger asthma attacks and increase the risk of respiratory problems in children,” ADEQ director Steve Owens said in a statement.

“This study shows the connection between poor air quality and asthma attacks in children and underscores the importance of taking action to reduce particulate pollution in the Valley.”

Owens said in an interview that the number of asthma events and the level at which they are triggered surprised the researchers. The study showed that moderate levels of particulate matter in the air — like that which can trigger a health watch but not an advisory — can cause respiratory problems.

“It reinforces the message given with a health watch,” Owens said. “If you have someone who is in that sensitive population, if you have a child like that, we need to take extra care to protect them. That’s an important thing for us to know because it demonstrates clearly you don’t have to have a violation of the federal health standard to have an adverse effect on a child with asthma.”