Purpose of the American Lung Association

While the tagline of the American Lung Association has changed over time, the latest tagline that they have is adopted “fighting for air”. Irrespective of the tagline, this organization has always focused on issues related to the lungs. Starting with the fight against tuberculosis, the organization expanded its horizons when the lung disease came under control in United States.

The mission of the organization is “to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease”. The association aims at eliminating the use of tobacco and tobacco products that cause lung disease. They want to improve the quality of air that we breathe so that it cannot worsen the damage that has already been done and in order to ensure a cleaner and safer environment for the next generations. While the fight against these lung disease causing factors continues, the association also provides care and support for patients and their families in the form of education, information and care.

The association makes it a point to measure their own performance in order to see the progress that they have made in the area. The board meets regularly to monitor the progress, change course if required and review the next steps.

Some of the specific areas that the association is making an impact is to include childhood asthma, secondhand smoke, smoking, air pollution and flu. While the Asthma Clinical Research Centers continue to conduct large scale researches in order to find a cure, it is known that more than 25 states have passed laws that prohibit smoking in workplaces, restaurants, bars and any public place. This is huge victory that the association has accomplished in the area of lung disease after being effective in ensuring that smoking was banned on flights.

Second hand smoke is another issue, with about 1100 kids taking up smoking each day. More than a third of these kids eventually die due to this addiction at some point in time. The association won the fight and ensured that the US FDA governed tobacco related product. But there is still a long way to go to reduce the number of children who take up smoking as a habit.



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