Detroit has been named as the third worst city in the U.S. to live with asthma.
Detroit Medical Center asthma expert Dr. Garen Wolff says, among other things, hotter temperatures contribute to asthma attacks due to a higher amount of pollen in the air.
“We had the Canadian wildfires, and so we still have some impact from other regions, specifically for those in Detroit, that impact our air quality,” Wolff said. “The second would be pollution. So, besides adding the fact that you have more pollen in the air, you also have the pollution. We are the Motor City. So a lot of our schools are next to highways and freeways, and then in certain parts of Detroit, like southwest Detroit, we still have the Marathon Petroleum Refinery.”
Wolff says she hasn’t personally treated anyone who’s died from asthma exacerbations. However, she has seen an increase in both adults and children who’ve been admitted to the ER.
