Screening for Asthma in Schools

Asthma is hard. Hard on kids, hard on parents, and hard on teachers. Nationwide, children between the ages of 5 and 17 missed 12.8 million school days in 2003 because of asthma according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's no wonder then, that Denver Public Schools is embarking upon an effort to screen students for asthma. It's estimated that over 5,000 kids in DPS have asthma, and the latest effort seeks to help children, parents, and teachers better manage the disease.

The timing for this effort couldn't be better. With Denver in violation of federal health standards for ozone, kids with asthma are probably suffering more than anyone. Ozone is a corrosive gas that only aggravates asthma, but is especially dangerous for children.

Ozone needs to be cleaned up, but we're a ways away from being clean. In the meantime, the more we can get a handle on asthma among children, the more we can make sure our children are safe as we work to reduce ozone.

It's hard enough being a kid with asthma. It's doubly tough to be a kid with asthma in a polluted city. Reducing ozone is more than making Denver look good--it's about helping our kids breathe easier.