Breath Matters Monthly e-Newsletter

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Current Issue:

Breath Matters
The American Lung Association of California's Monthly e-Newsletter
March 28, 2006 Number 134
http://www.californialung.org

Content:

Lung Disease Warning Signs
Association Calls for TB Funding to Prevent Resurgence
TB Conferences Focus on Eradicating Diseasey
Court Rejects Bush Administration Plan to Gut Clean Air Act
Santa Barbara Volunteer Recognized for Dedication
Calabasas Passes Most Comprehensive Secondhand Smoke Law
People With Asthma Needed for Association Research Study
Researcher Examines Immune System's Defense Against TB
Are You Part of an Asthma Walk Team?
Tell a Friend

MONTHLY HEALTH TIP: Lung Disease Warning Signs
To learn more about the warning signs of lung disease, visit
http://californialung.org/support/WarningSignsLungDisease.html

ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR TB FUNDING TO PREVENT RESURGENCE

While tuberculosis (TB) cases dropped 2.9 percent nationwide
(2005 compared to 2004), and 3 percent in California, increases were
experienced in 23 local California areas. On World TB Day (March 24), the
American Lung Association of California cautioned that the decline in the
number of cases continues to slow and called on the state of California to
avert a TB resurgence in this state by increasing funding for prevention and
control efforts.

California continues to report the highest number of TB cases in
the United States. Case increases were experienced last year in Alameda,
Berkeley, El Dorado, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino,
Monterey, Nevada, Orange, Pasadena, Placer, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo,
Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yolo.

For detailed statistics, the related news release and advocacy
opportunity, visit http://www.californialung.org/press/060322WorldTBDay.html

TB CONFERENCES FOCUS ON ERADICATING DISEASE

The 14th Annual March on TB Conference will be held Saturday,
April 1, at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center
Auditorium. Topics will include infection control, new or improved
diagnostic tests, and approaches to the global eradication of TB.

The daylong conference costs $60 for physicians and $40 for
nurses. To register or request a brochure, or for more information, contact
Laura Myhovich, 619.543.2098 or Lmyhovich@ucsd.edu

The California Tuberculosis Controllers Association Annual
Conference will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Anaheim, May 11-12. For
more information, visit www.ctca.org

COURT REJECTS BUSH ADMINISTRATION PLAN TO GUT CLEAN AIR ACT

A federal court rejected a Bush administration rule that would
have sabotaged a key provision of the Clean Air Act. Agreeing with a
coalition of public health and environmental groups, including the American
Lung Association, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a loophole the Bush
administration adopted for the law¹s new source review program would have
allowed thousands of aging power plants and other industrial facilities to
emit more air pollution, threatening the health of millions of Americans.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
found that the administration¹s loophole contradicted the purposes of the
Clean Air Act. For a copy of the ruling, visit
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/documents/3-06/ERP-ruling-3-17-06.pdf

For more information, contact Bonnie Holmes-Gen at 916.442.4446
or bhgen@alac.org.

SANTA BARBARA VOLUNTEER RECOGNIZED FOR DEDICATION

Jacqueline Knauss, volunteer for the American Lung Association
of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, was recently awarded nationwide
Volunteer of the Week. She has served in a variety of capacities and was
instrumental in helping promote association programs in area schools. She
has also been a tireless supporter of Camp Wheez, devoting countless hours
to the asthma camp.

The mother of a son with asthma, she has been a strong advocate
for healthy living and improving care for children with asthma.

Visit
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=1453509&tr=y&auid=1464888
for more information, or contact Donna Beal at 805.963.1426 or
donna@lungsbvc.org.

CALABASAS PASSES MOST COMPREHENSIVE SECONDHAND SMOKE LAW

The city of Calabasas has passed the most comprehensive city ordinance protecting people from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke, garnering national news reports on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX and CNN, among others, as well as extensive print and radio coverage. Representatives from the American Lung Association joined other health groups in supporting the ordinance and participated in the news conference on March 15 to announce the landmark law.

The new ordinance became effective March 17 and prohibits
smoking in all public places in the city of Calabasas at times when other
persons can be exposed to secondhand smoke. These include indoor and outdoor
businesses, hotels, parks, sidewalks, and other places where people can be
reasonably expected to congregate or meet.

For more information, contact Colleen Callahan at 714.835.5864,
x161 or ccallahan@oclung.org.

PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA NEEDED FOR ASSOCIATION RESEARCH STUDY

The American Lung Association¹s Asthma Clinical Research Center (ACRC) is seeking patients 18 years of age and older for asthma studies. If you know of qualified and interested individuals, please have them contact Jane at the ACRC for more information at 888.827.3247.

RESEARCHER EXAMINES IMMUNE SYSTEM¹S DEFENSE AGAINST TB

Beatrice Saviola, Ph.D., is hoping to discover a way to make the
bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) more susceptible to the immune
system¹s defense mechanism to help combat the disease. She is studying the
bacterium to determine how it can sense and resist environmental stress to
survive in the body.

Dr. Saviola was one of 17 researchers who received funding last
year through the American Lung Association¹s research program, which granted
nearly $1 million to lung disease research in fiscal year 2005-2006. For
information about funded projects, visit http://californialung.org/research/research.html

ARE YOU PART OF AN ASTHMA WALK TEAM?

Spring Asthma Walks are right around the corner. Be part of a team and join an asthma walk near you. Visit http://www.californialung.org/press/030925asthma.html

TELL A FRIEND

Forward this e-newsletter to friends, family and business contacts. Encourage them to subscribe for free at http://www.californialung.org. Signing up is easy. Just enter your e-mail address at the upper left corner of the Web site homepage below the logo.

TELL A FRIEND

Forward this e-newsletter to friends, family and business contacts. Encourage them to subscribe for free at
http://www.californialung.org. Signing up is easy. Just enter your e-mail address at the upper left corner of the Web site homepage below the logo.

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