R 163
2003 -- H 6363
Enacted 04/24/03
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING
SUPPORT OF WORLD ASTHMA DAY ON MAY 7, 2003 IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Introduced
By: Representatives Handy, and Almeida
Date
Introduced: April 24, 2003
WHEREAS,
Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting
about
15 million people; and
WHEREAS,
Asthma is the leading cause of childhood hospitalizations, long-term illness,
and
school absenteeism, accounting for more than 10 million missed school days each
year; and
WHEREAS,
Each year 2 million people are rushed to the emergency room and 5,000
people
die from asthma; and
WHEREAS,
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease in which the airways of the
lungs
constrict, causing wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing; and
WHEREAS,
Exposure to allergens and irritants such as dust mites, mold, cockroaches,
pet
dander, and secondhand smoke can bring on an asthma episode; and
WHEREAS,
Secondhand smoke worsens children’s asthma in an estimated 400,000 to
one
million children; and
WHEREAS,
There are simple steps people can take to reduce their exposure to
environmental
asthma triggers; and
WHEREAS,
The House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and the U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency are encouraging Americans to identify and reduce their
exposures
to environmental triggers in homes and schools, and incorporate environmental
controls
into their asthma management plans; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
Providence
Plantations hereby proclaims support of World Asthma Day on May 7, 2003 in the
State
of Rhode Island; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to
transmit
a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode Island Division of the
American
Cancer
Society, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association.
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LC01457
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