LEADERSHIP IN PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
- Lung disease is now the second leading cause of death in the United States.
- Over 49 million Americans are living with a chronic lung disease.
- The rates of many lung diseases are on the rise.
Breathe California has many services to promote lung health and clean air. Our current focus is on Asthma, Air Quality, Tobacco Prevention and Control and Lung Health Research. Why?
- Asthma affects more than 25 million Americans
- There are more than 3,300 asthma-related deaths in the United States each year, and these deaths are often preventable.
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as emphysema) is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
- An estimated 24 million people in the USA are living with COPD.
- Smoking is the #1 preventable cause of death in the USA.
- More people die from smoking and second hand smoke that AIDS, breast cancer, drug overdoses, homicide, motor vehicle accidents and suicide combined.
- Lung diseases are the second and third leading cause of death, yet research has historically been significantly underfunded.