Answers!

1. Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the air passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs become periodically narrow, causing coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

2. True: Air pollution in urban areas can be created from a variety of sources including power plants, industry, and even the home but the main source of outdoor air pollution in cities is from traffic emissions

3. Household triggers of asthma: dust mites, cockroaches and other pests, mold, animal and pet dander, tobacco smoke combustion appliances, and house dust.

4. No: A nationally funded epidemiological study with a qualitative parental interview component revealed that there was little evidence to support an association between the prevalence of childhood asthma and other respiratory illness and the child’s residential proximity to opencast coal mines.

5. B: In adult populations, farming is most consistent risk factor for occupationally related asthma, with animal farmers at an increased risk. However, Children from farming families are at a reduced risk of asthma, hay fever and other allergies.