The American Lung Association has been a public health innovator for more than 100 years. Founded as the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis in 1904, we launched a nationwide effort to cure tuberculosis (TB) through education, research and advocacy, which became the model for today’s public health programs. We created the first health education campaigns, sent health workers door to door, and advocated for laws to reduce the spread of TB, which was a radical departure from the charities and learned societies that existed at the time.
In 1907, Emily Bissell developed the first Christmas Seal® campaign to raise $300 for the association’s efforts. Instead, she secured $3,000 and a new way to fundraise. The Christmas Seal® tradition continues today.
By 1954, the death rate from tuberculosis was less than one-fiftieth of what it had been in 1904 thanks to effective public health policies and medications, developed in part through research funded by the association. In 1956, board members voted to expand the association’s mission to include other respiratory diseases.
At that time, evidence was mounting about the health dangers posed by smoking. When the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report was issued in 1964 outlining the health risks of tobacco use, the association was well on its way to developing what would become model quit-smoking programs and public education campaigns.
Air pollution was also becoming a serious public health issue in the 1960s as more cars, trucks and buses continued to fill our newly built highways. In 1973, the organization changed its name to the American Lung Association to reflect its mission to fight all threats to lung health.
