Obama blames coal for kids asthma

President Obama claimed Tuesday that air pollution from coal can cause asthma in children. Speaking at a town hall event in Annandale, Virginia, the President said that while coal is ”very cheap, it’s also dirty. And it can create the kinds of air pollution that not only is contributing to climate change but is also creating asthma for kids nearby.” The National Institutes of Health (NIH), however, has concluded that while air contaminants can trigger asthma in some susceptible kids, air pollution does not cause asthma.

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross thinks it’s pretty clear that Obama’s statement “was driven by an agenda to encourage clean coal technology. Rather than buffing up on the science of air particulates, he made simplistic assertions on coal’s alleged link to air pollution and childhood asthma. He shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.”

For a broader perspective on asthma, be sure to read ACSH’s publication Asthma: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment.