Knoxville was chosen by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America for a second year in a row as the worse city for people with asthma to live in. The American Lung Association rated Sevier County at an “F,”the worse possible score.
Dr. Tony DeLucia, Professor of Pathology in the UTSU Surgery Department, and spokesman for the East Tennessee American Lung Association, said that area governments, as well as individuals, need to stop the sources of bad air in East Tennessee.
Dr. DeLucia told The Herald, “We need to start recycling, conserving, watching automobile emissions. It can happen tomorrow, if we will take action.” DeLucia said that the tennis court size lining of our lungs is very sensitive and thin, and easily affected by a smoke filled room or the emissions from a school bus. He noted that there seems to be a link between the ozone level and high levels of asthma, “Look at the ozone levels and then see how this area has the highest asthma rate.”
DeLucia said that East Tennesseans tend to take the air for granted, “We think it is a resource out there that we will always have. Think of a fish out of water,” he said. “It can’t breathe- it is dead right away, that is what it will be for us if we don’t do something about our air supply.” He added, “Our air supply is not guaranteed!”
Dr. DeLucia said that he recommend that people use the available color-coding system. The system lets people know when asthma triggers are the worse. He is especially concerned for children and the elderly, a population that especially vulnerable to air quality. He advises parents of children who do not have respiratory problems to keep their kids in from playing if we should have a red day, and possibly on a yellow day. He also advised that proper rest and healthy eating to enhance the immune system are helpful.
Dr Jeffrey Schlactus of East Tennessee Allergy P.C. on Middle Creek Road in Sevierville told The Herald, “The prevalence of asthma is pretty high compared to the rest of the nation. There are various factors that contribute; the ozone and exposure to cigarette smoke are main factors.” Schlactus said that the reason that half of the asthmatics are ill is because of allergens. He said that evaluation by an allergist would be appropriate so that the individual can limit his exposure to the things he is allergic to. Schlactus added, “I haven’t seen people who have developed asthma after moving to East Tennessee, but I have seen people who have developed more symptoms after moving here.”
The worst city evaluation was based on estimated and reported prevalence of asthma, asthma related deaths, annual pollen level, annual air quality, public smoking laws, the number of asthma specialists, the school asthma inhaler access laws, uninsured rate, the poverty rate, rescue medication use per patient, and the mortality rate.

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