World Asthma Day and our Environment

By – Dr. N. Munal Meitei
World Asthma Day is observed on May 5 since 1998 to raise awareness and improve care for people with asthma. The theme for 2026 is “Access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma – still an urgent need”.
Asthma attacks involve obstruction of the air passages in the lungs which reduces the ability of the person to inhale life sustaining oxygen into the body. The airway obstruction is caused by spasm and tightening of the airway muscles and inflammation which causes both swelling of the walls of the air passages and mucus or phlegm blocking the airways.
Reliever medicines may ease symptoms quickly, but anti-inflammatory inhalers help control the underlying inflammation and reduce the risk of attacks. The day also highlights the link between respiratory health and environmental factors. With 262 million sufferers worldwide and 455000 annual deaths, it emphasizes that air pollution, climate change and indoor allergens are the key drivers of asthma, urging global action for better care and a cleaner environment.
Air pollution from vehicles and industries along with construction dust, significantly increases asthma attacks. Increased temperatures due to climate variation extend pollen seasons, boost and intensify asthma symptoms.
Poorly ventilated, modern sealed buildings with indoor pollution facilitate the growth of allergens like mold and dust mites, while household chemicals, strong scents and cleaning products act as strong irritants. Cold air, high humidity and rapid weather shifts are also common triggers for respiratory distress. Environmental action that improves for better air quality can reduce the Asthma burdens.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease which affects children and adults. It can cause missed school days, missed work days, poor sleep and reduced quality of life. Many asthma-related deaths occur due to under-diagnosis, under-treatment or poor access to essential inhalers. India carries a high asthma burden, with studies estimating over 34 million people affected. The country’s air pollution, dust, pollen, smoke and changing weather are the causes to worsen symptoms.
Living with asthma can be challenging, but with the right education, it is possible to manage it successfully. Education and awareness will increase understanding of the condition for people living with asthma and their families and empower them to manage their treatment.
Best practices for Asthma management include: use inhalers exactly as prescribed, learn the correct inhaler technique, keep a written asthma action plan, track symptoms and reliever inhaler use, avoid known triggers where possible, keep your home well-ventilated and dust controlled, avoid smoking and second-hand smoke, stay updated with flu and pneumonia vaccines if advised, warm up before exercise and review your asthma plan regularly with your doctor.
Climate change is exacerbating the situation by lengthening pollen seasons and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events that worsen air quality. Without urgent intervention, spanning pollution control, healthcare access and public education, the global asthma burden will continue to climb, placing immense strain on healthcare systems and diminishing millions of lives.
Lifestyle modification is critical which includes using allergen-proof bedding covers, maintaining indoor humidity below 50%, avoiding tobacco smoke and staying indoors during high pollution or pollen days.
Asthma can run in families, but it’s not just about genetics. Environmental factors – especially air pollution – play a big role in causing asthma and making it worse. Air pollutants like, PM2.5, PM10, Nitrogen dioxide (NO‚ ) and ground ozone play to irritate and inflame the lungs, which can trigger asthma symptoms and even lead to serious asthma attacks.
This shows a clear link between higher pollution and more asthma, especially in kids. A 2025 study in Nanjing, China, published in Frontiers in Public Health, also found that higher air pollution levels led to more hospital visits for asthma in children. The study pointed out that things like gender, age and season also affect asthma and more research is needed.
The Global Asthma Report 2024 shows that India alone makes up over 15% of the world’s asthma deaths. One big reason is air pollution – especially from PM2.5, vehicle fumes and factory emissions. Dr. Abha Mahashur, a lung specialist in Mumbai, points out that children are more at risk because their lungs are still developing and they spend more time outdoors. As a result, more kids in polluted cities are getting asthma.
The State of Global Air 2024 report gives a full look at air quality and health in over 200 countries, using data from 1990 to 2021showing clear links between air pollution and asthma around the world. A 2023 EPA report also warns that climate change and rising temperatures will lead to more asthma in children and youths in future.
Improving Environmental health is the best way to reduce Asthma. Governments can help by making stricter rules to limit pollution, supporting clean energy, checking air quality more often and more accurately and planting abundant trees can reduce the Asthma burden for the country and the world.
(The author is Environmentalist, presently working as DFO/Chandel, email- namunall@yahoo.in)