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December 13th, 2004:

MYTH: Air pollution causes asthma, however …

By Bryan Walsh – Time Asia – December 13, 2004

FACT: There are no concrete studies that directly link asthma to air pollution. The asthma rate in heavily polluted Beijing is actually lower than the rate in Hong Kong, which is itself lower than in many cleaner cities. But asthmatics who move to polluted cities do find themselves at greater risk. “There’s no question that once you have asthma, you’re more vulnerable to air pollution,” says Dr. Anthony Hedley of the University of Hong Kong.