The WSJ detailed a small portion of the medical research revealing one of the reasons for the “dumbing down” of America is, of all things, air pollution. The article read like something the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment would have written, using phrases like, “at every stage of life, traffic fumes exact a measurable toll on mental capacity, intelligence and emotional stability,” and “the emissions may also heighten the risk of Alzheimer’s and accelerate Parkinson’s disease,”

It also said that “air pollution might be a risk factor for autism,” and “by age 3 children exposed prenatally to high exhaust levels were developing mental capacities more slowly … by age 5, their IQ scores averaged four points lower on intelligence tests … by age 7, the children were more likely to show symptoms of anxiety, depression and attention problems.”

Some of these studies tried to quantify the impact: 5-9 IQ points. That’s a game changer, a career changer, a serious limitation to one’s quality of life and earning capability.

The WSJ — part of the Fox News empire, ally of industry and business, home of Karl Rove editorials, microphone for corporate America and congressional Republicans, who are all presently collaborating in a relentless campaign to strangle the EPA — is reporting significant impairment of human intelligence by air pollution.

Occupy protests illustrate what recent polls have documented: a wide gap between the attitudes of Americans on many issues, including pollution, our fossil fuel addiction and the corporate coddling agendas of both political parties. The overwhelming majority of Democrats, Republicans and even 56 percent of tea partyers want America to make the investments needed to be the world’s clean energy leader and think America’s oil, coal and natural gas companies have excessive influence on Congress and the White House.

The Wall Street Journal says air pollution makes our kids stupid and alters their chromosomes, and Forbes magazine ranked Salt Lake City as the ninth most toxic American city (Feb. 2011). this could be the makings of a perfect storm finally clearing our air pollution.

Fighting this perfect storm, in defiance of public opinion, are virtually all Utah’s politicians — Gov. Gary Herbert, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Rob Bishop, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Rep. Jim Matheson and many state legislators — who behave like Utah’s real glory is fossil fuels. But the Occupy movement offers hope that even Utahns have had enough of politicians tethered to the corporate umbilical cord.

When our kids can no longer get into college because of the air they breathe, maybe we’ll see torches and pitchforks descending on Capitol Hill. I’m cautiously holding my breath.

Brian Moench is the president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

“It is the leading cause of school absences among children,” McKinley said, adding that missed work hours, as well as prevention and treatment efforts for asthma, makes the disease very costly for Americans. Costs have been on the rise for at least the past decade.

“It’s a chronic disease that doesn’t go away,” she said. “And there is no cure for it.”

McKinley and Intermountain’s Dr. Alyson Edmunds, also a pediatric hospitalist, will be featured during Saturday’s Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline, where they will take questions about RSV and pediatric asthma and provide advice free of charge. From 10 a.m. until noon, people can call 1-800-925-8177 or post questions on the Deseret News’ Facebook page, facebook.com/desnews.

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system that affects everyone differently. it is typically caused by genetics and/or environmental factors. Attacks, in which a person cannot draw in enough air, can be triggered by any number of things, including a virus, air pollution, dust and animal dander, second-hand smoke, mold and mildew and even insects and cockroaches in a person’s living space.

The goal, McKinley said, is to identify those triggers and keep airways from becoming inflamed in the first place, thus preventing attacks and maintaining a normal lifestyle as much as possible.

Treatment and management of the disease is much the same for adults as it is for children, however in small children, good habits need to be encouraged early on. Physicians have a number of tools to help children with asthma to develop a plan of action. the plan often includes identifying when a rescue inhaler, containing the broncho-dilator albuterol, is necessary, as well as when triggers are present and affecting their airways.

Children older than 5 years of age can participate in pulmonary testing to determine their level of control of the disease. It’s typically a good sign if asthma attacks are rare.

Symptoms that end up being persistent, such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, as well as fatigue or irritability, usually lead to the need for long-term medication or more intense treatments.

The ultimate goal, however, is to avoid hospitalizations and having to fight for air.