Sunday, June 29, 2008

Asthma Rates Increase While Smoking Rates Decrease

Marshall at Ban the Ban points out this little fact.

Asthma incidence in under 15-year-olds has increased from 5.8 per 10,000 in 1970 to 35.8 per 10,000 in 1997. (These are hospital discharge figures, not initial diagnoses.) During the same period, smoking rates dropped from 40% to 24% and according to the CDC, exposure of children to ETS decreased 75%. (The National Asthma Campaign, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Jim Pirkle MD, PhD, CDC’s Environmental Laboratory)

(8) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1316 hrs
Off-Duty + Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. So what’s the conclusion:  Asthma cures smoking?

    Now, if we could just get our Asthma rate higher we could eliminate smoking entirely.

    These correlation studies are worthless.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 29, 2008 at 1417 hrs


  2. Doyle should increase the sales tax on inhalers and other asthma medications, thereby lowering the raising rates.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 29, 2008 at 1643 hrs


  3. It’s Bush (I)‘s fault.

    Posted by dad29 on June 29, 2008 at 1721 hrs


  4. The study Marshall pointed to was simply showing that decreases in the smoking population do not correlate with decreased athsma diagnoses.  When the pro-ban movement comes forth with the strictly emotional argument that we’d somehow be saving children from athsma if we could only ban smoking in bars and restaurants, we should be prepared to hold them accountable with facts.

    Because Marshall is actively fighting against smoking bans, I’m sure that he hears this ‘children with athsma’ argument time and time again.  I’ve heard it many times, myself.  It’s good to have some data to throw back in the smoking ban proponents’ face to expose them for the busybody nannies that they are.

    Posted by Joey on June 29, 2008 at 2131 hrs


  5. Researchers are hypothesizing that excessive cleanliness leads to asthma and other auto-immune diseases.

    Posted by Marcus Aurelius on June 29, 2008 at 2144 hrs


  6. It’s diet, not smoking that causes nearly all health problems. However, a small percentage of health problems (but growing)is caused by negative mutations.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 30, 2008 at 0722 hrs


  7. I think it’s kinda like how global warming is still responsible for the colder than usual winter we just had.

    Posted by Matt on June 30, 2008 at 1256 hrs


  8. So what’s the conclusion:  Asthma cures smoking?

    Now, if we could just get our Asthma rate higher we could eliminate smoking entirely.

    These correlation studies are worthless

    Joey is correct in pointing out that I hear this ‘children with asthma’ argument time and time again.  I am not claiming that smoking isn’t an irritant to those that are afflicted with disease.  But the anti-smoking activist frequently proclaim that smoking is a cause of asthma when the facts don’t bare that out.

    Posted by Marshall on July 02, 2008 at 1221 hrs


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