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Breathless generation – what is causing the asthma apocalypse?

Written: 17/12/2025    |    Read time: 7 mins

Beth Wright

‍

‍

Back to the basics: What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways, where the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs become overly sensitive, swollen, and easily triggered by things like pollen, pollution, or exercise. When these airways react, they tighten and can produce excess mucus, making it harder to breathe for asthmatics.

Most of us are very familiar with the common asthma symptoms, they can include any or all of the following:

  • Wheezing
  • Coughing
  • Chest tightness
  • Shortness of breath

Despite having been known about for centuries, we still lack a complete cure for this disease, and it is slowly becoming one of the defining health challenges of the 21st century. Across the globe, the rates of asthma diagnosis continue to climb [1], with the people most affected often being children and young adults.

So, we ask ourselves - what is driving this asthma surge?

The answer is incredibly complex, as in the disease itself, but researchers agree that this increase is largely being driven by the numerous ways in which our environment and lifestyle has rapidly changed - fueled by industrialisation and modernisation [2].

‍

Getting to the number: Just how common is asthma?

Over 262 million people worldwide are affected by asthma.

In the United States alone more than 28 million people (1 in 12) are diagnosed with asthma. In Australia 2022, the numbers tell a similar story:

  • Just under 2.8 million (10.8%) people had asthma
  • 1 in 3 had a written asthma action plan
  • 1 in 3 used asthma medication daily

These figures are extraordinary - they represent a widespread and growing burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. Considering its prevalence and impact on our lives - and the lives of those around us - it begs the question:

Why do the numbers of asthma continue to rise, and what can actually be done to prevent this?

‍

Is climate change the new asthma accelerator?

It’s not just the temperature that climate change is exacerbating - global warming and pollution are also transforming the respiratory landscape. There are many culprits offering explanations for this asthma increase, including:

  • Longer pollen seasons
  • Air pollution
  • More allergenic pollen [3]
  • Increased mould growth [4]
  • More frequent wildfires and smoke exposure [5]
  • New allergens (substances the immune system mistakes for threats)
  • Urban heat islands [6]

Climate change isn't just a background variable - it’s actively reshaping the environment in which we live, and these have tangible consequences on our respiratory environment, stacking multiple triggers that make asthma harder to control and potentially more severe over time.

‍

What are urban heat islands? Why do they matter for asthma and respiratory health?

Urban heat islands are a climate-driven amplifier. They concentrate heat and pollution in the places where the most people live - turning cities into hotspots for asthma triggers by:

  • Increasing ozone formation, especially during heatwaves
  • Trapping particulate matter, smoke, and vehicle emissions
  • Drying out the airways, increasing inflammation and sensitivity
  • Multiplying the health effects of heat and pollution

It makes perfect sense, but who would have thought that city living could impact us in this way?

‍

Digging deeper - how pollen truly worsens asthma

It is well established that pollen exposure in asthmatics increases the risk of exacerbations [7]. At its core, asthma is an inflammatory disease, and pollen acts as a potent trigger for your immune system which recognises it as a foreign and potentially dangerous particle.

When allergenic particles reach the airways, they irritate the lining, activate immune pathways, and amplify airway inflammation. In combination with increasing global temperatures this is becoming an even greater threat by producing stronger, more frequent and longer immune responses for those with asthma. For instance:

  • Rising temperatures and higher atmospheric CO₂ levels means plants produce more pollen, for longer periods.
  • Allergenicity of pollen is increased in humid weather by this 'fragmenting', allowing it to penetrate deeper into the respiratory tract.

Yet, although these are incredibly key factors in thunderstorm asthma severity - they are not the only silent threats that we should watch out for...

‍

How Urban Living impacts asthma - can you really be ‘too clean’?

How does being ‘too clean’ affect asthma?

For decades, researchers believed asthma was primarily a genetic disease. Today, we know genes play a role - but they don’t explain the global surge.

Instead, many scientists are now pointing to the “biodiversity” or “old friends” hypothesis [8]. This is the idea that for many countries across the globe, our modern lifestyles are reducing our exposure to the microbes in the environment [9,10]. We are experiencing:

  • More time indoors - with 80-90% of our time spent inside [11].
  • Less exposure to soil and natural environments.
  • Increased antibiotic use.
  • Highly sanitised surfaces.
  • Reduced contact with animals and other organisms .

Losing contact with these microbes may reduce the risk of illness from some pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi, however, the diversity of microbes helps to train the immune system - especially early in life [12].

Without this early “education”, the developing immune system becomes more reactive - more likely to overrespond to harmless triggers like pollen or dust mites. This over responsiveness results in the immune system sounding the alarm when it does not need to - driving allergies, wheezing, and asthma flare-ups [13].

This shift in our very own microbial environment may be one of the most powerful drivers of the modern allergy and asthma epidemic.

‍

How our homes may be working against us

One of the issues with spending more time indoors [11], is that houses naturally accumulate dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, synthetic materials, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as common household cleaning products. [14]

How can organic compounds be dangerous?

When most people hear organic, they picture green smoothies, farmers’ markets, and chemical-free living. But in science, “organic compounds” can be a little more… sneaky. Enter VOCs (volatile organic compounds) - easily evaporating chemicals that persist quietly in your home’s air.

VOCs aren’t rare or exotic. They’re hiding in plain sight.

Formaldehyde lurks in many household cleaners, acetone powers nail-polish remover, and arts-and-crafts favourites like glue and markers give off VOCs too. Even everyday materials treated with flame retardants or stain repellents can release them into the air you breathe.

‍

And here’s where your lungs come in.

‍

VOC exposure has been linked to a range of health effects, with the respiratory system taking the biggest hit. Studies show that combined exposure to indoor VOCs can impair lung function in adults with asthma [15], and growing evidence suggests children may be even more vulnerable. Kids breathe more air relative to their body size - which means they also inhale higher doses of whatever is hiding in it.

The effects may even start before birth [15]. Research indicates that frequent use of chemical-based products during pregnancy is associated with persistent wheezing in young children. In other words, what’s in the air around us - long before we notice it - can shape respiratory health from the very beginning.

‍

Can We Reverse the Trend?

There is good news.

We may not be able to change the genetic predispositions people carry - but we can absolutely change the environments shaping respiratory health.

Many of these asthma triggers are modifiable, and community-level interventions can make a real difference. For instance, environmental action is a firs port-of-call for improving asthma outcomes. This may include reducing emissions, and creating green urban spaces to increase outdoor play and reduce air pollution.

‍

So… what does this all mean?

Asthma doesn’t have a single cause, and it certainly doesn’t have a single solution. It is shaped by a web of interacting factors - climate change, urban design, indoor environments, immune development, nutrition, pollution, and lifestyle - all layering together to influence how our airways develop, respond, and inflame over time.

What’s striking is that many of the forces driving the asthma surge are not biological accidents, but by-products of modern living.

The encouraging takeaway? If asthma is being shaped by our environments, then improving those environments - from the air we breathe to the spaces we live in - offers powerful opportunities for prevention, better control, and healthier lungs for future generations.

‍

‍

References

  1. Goshua, A., Sampath, V., Efobi, J. A., & Nadeau, K. (2023). The Role of Climate Change in Asthma. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 1426, 25–41. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32259-4_2
  2. Soler-Segovia, Consequences of climate change for asthma: Reviewing the evidence, D. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 2025:46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100630
  3. Oh J. W. (2022). Pollen Allergy in a Changing Planetary Environment. Allergy, asthma & immunology research, 14(2), 168–181. https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2022.14.2.168
  4. Caillaud, D., Leynaert, B., Keirsbulck, M., Nadif, R., & mould ANSES working group (2018). Indoor mould exposure, asthma and rhinitis: findings from systematic reviews and recent longitudinal studies. European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society, 27(148), 170137. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0137-2017
  5. Wilgus, M. L., & Merchant, M. (2024). Clearing the Air: Understanding the Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma and COPD. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 12(3), 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12030307
  6. Adams K and Knuth C. (2024). The effect of urban heat islands on pediatric asthma exacerbation: How race plays a role. Urban Climate. 53;101833. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.101833
  7. Haahtela T (2019). A biodiversity hypothesis. Allergy - European Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 74(8); 1445-1456. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1111/all.13763
  8. Rook G. A. W. (2023). The old friends hypothesis: evolution, immunoregulation and essential microbial inputs. *Frontiers in allergy. 4;*1220481. https://doi.org/10.3389/falgy.2023.1220481
  9. Hanying L et al (2022). The Development of Early Life Microbiota in Human Health and Disease. Engineering. 12;101-114. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2020.12.014
  10. Dimitroulopoulou S et al (2023). Indoor air quality guidelines from across the world: An appraisal considering energy saving, health, productivity, and comfort. Environment INternational. 178;108127. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108127
  11. Hanski, I., von Hertzen, L., Fyhrquist, N., Koskinen, K., Torppa, K., Laatikainen, T., Karisola, P., Auvinen, P., Paulin, L., Mäkelä, M. J., Vartiainen, E., Kosunen, T. U., Alenius, H., & Haahtela, T. (2012). Environmental biodiversity, human microbiota, and allergy are interrelated. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(21), 8334–8339. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205624109
  12. Von Hertzen, L., Hanski, I., & Haahtela, T. (2011). Natural immunity. Biodiversity loss and inflammatory diseases are two global megatrends that might be related. EMBO reports, 12(11), 1089–1093. https://doi.org/10.1038/embor.2011.195
  13. David, E., & Niculescu, V. C. (2021). Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as Environmental Pollutants: Occurrence and Mitigation Using Nanomaterials. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(24), 13147. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413147
  14. Dales, R., & Raizenne, M. (2004). Residential Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds and Asthma. Journal of Asthma, 41(3), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1081/JAS-120026082
  15. Sherriff A, Farrow A, Golding J*, et alFrequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age childrenThorax* 2005;**60:**45-49. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2004.021154

‍

About Diag-Nose.io

Diag-Nose.io, founded in 2020, is a TechBio company focused on translating the complexities of the unified airway into precision diagnostic and drug discovery solutions.

Their precision medicine technology combines advanced proteomics, computational biology, and AI (machine learning) to create a scalable respiratory biology model. This innovation aims to help clinicians prescribe the right treatments faster and enable researchers to accelerate the development of new therapies.

The company’s flagship platform, RhinoMAP™, leverages proteomic data to predict respiratory disease activity, monitor therapy response and predict treatment efficacy in advance, with an initial focus on anti-Th2 biologics.

Learn more at Diag-Nose.io

About the author

Beth Wright

Junior Researcher

Beth Wright, a Junior Researcher at Diag-Nose, expertly aims to improve accessibility of medical information and research in the field of Respiratory Disease.

Beth holds a BBiomedSc. from Monash University.

‍

Written: 17/12/2025    |    Read time: 7 mins

Beth Wright

‍

‍

Back to the basics: What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways, where the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs become overly sensitive, swollen, and easily triggered by things like pollen, pollution, or exercise. When these airways react, they tighten and can produce excess mucus, making it harder to breathe for asthmatics.

Most of us are very familiar with the common asthma symptoms, they can include any or all of the following:

  • Wheezing
  • Coughing
  • Chest tightness
  • Shortness of breath

Despite having been known about for centuries, we still lack a complete cure for this disease, and it is slowly becoming one of the defining health challenges of the 21st century. Across the globe, the rates of asthma diagnosis continue to climb [1], with the people most affected often being children and young adults.

So, we ask ourselves - what is driving this asthma surge?

The answer is incredibly complex, as in the disease itself, but researchers agree that this increase is largely being driven by the numerous ways in which our environment and lifestyle has rapidly changed - fueled by industrialisation and modernisation [2].

‍

Getting to the number: Just how common is asthma?

Over 262 million people worldwide are affected by asthma.

In the United States alone more than 28 million people (1 in 12) are diagnosed with asthma. In Australia 2022, the numbers tell a similar story:

  • Just under 2.8 million (10.8%) people had asthma
  • 1 in 3 had a written asthma action plan
  • 1 in 3 used asthma medication daily

These figures are extraordinary - they represent a widespread and growing burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. Considering its prevalence and impact on our lives - and the lives of those around us - it begs the question:

Why do the numbers of asthma continue to rise, and what can actually be done to prevent this?

‍

Is climate change the new asthma accelerator?

It’s not just the temperature that climate change is exacerbating - global warming and pollution are also transforming the respiratory landscape. There are many culprits offering explanations for this asthma increase, including:

  • Longer pollen seasons
  • Air pollution
  • More allergenic pollen [3]
  • Increased mould growth [4]
  • More frequent wildfires and smoke exposure [5]
  • New allergens (substances the immune system mistakes for threats)
  • Urban heat islands [6]

Climate change isn't just a background variable - it’s actively reshaping the environment in which we live, and these have tangible consequences on our respiratory environment, stacking multiple triggers that make asthma harder to control and potentially more severe over time.

‍

What are urban heat islands? Why do they matter for asthma and respiratory health?

Urban heat islands are a climate-driven amplifier. They concentrate heat and pollution in the places where the most people live - turning cities into hotspots for asthma triggers by:

  • Increasing ozone formation, especially during heatwaves
  • Trapping particulate matter, smoke, and vehicle emissions
  • Drying out the airways, increasing inflammation and sensitivity
  • Multiplying the health effects of heat and pollution

It makes perfect sense, but who would have thought that city living could impact us in this way?

‍

Digging deeper - how pollen truly worsens asthma

It is well established that pollen exposure in asthmatics increases the risk of exacerbations [7]. At its core, asthma is an inflammatory disease, and pollen acts as a potent trigger for your immune system which recognises it as a foreign and potentially dangerous particle.

When allergenic particles reach the airways, they irritate the lining, activate immune pathways, and amplify airway inflammation. In combination with increasing global temperatures this is becoming an even greater threat by producing stronger, more frequent and longer immune responses for those with asthma. For instance:

  • Rising temperatures and higher atmospheric CO₂ levels means plants produce more pollen, for longer periods.
  • Allergenicity of pollen is increased in humid weather by this 'fragmenting', allowing it to penetrate deeper into the respiratory tract.

Yet, although these are incredibly key factors in thunderstorm asthma severity - they are not the only silent threats that we should watch out for...

‍

How Urban Living impacts asthma - can you really be ‘too clean’?

How does being ‘too clean’ affect asthma?

For decades, researchers believed asthma was primarily a genetic disease. Today, we know genes play a role - but they don’t explain the global surge.

Instead, many scientists are now pointing to the “biodiversity” or “old friends” hypothesis [8]. This is the idea that for many countries across the globe, our modern lifestyles are reducing our exposure to the microbes in the environment [9,10]. We are experiencing:

  • More time indoors - with 80-90% of our time spent inside [11].
  • Less exposure to soil and natural environments.
  • Increased antibiotic use.
  • Highly sanitised surfaces.
  • Reduced contact with animals and other organisms .

Losing contact with these microbes may reduce the risk of illness from some pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi, however, the diversity of microbes helps to train the immune system - especially early in life [12].

Without this early “education”, the developing immune system becomes more reactive - more likely to overrespond to harmless triggers like pollen or dust mites. This over responsiveness results in the immune system sounding the alarm when it does not need to - driving allergies, wheezing, and asthma flare-ups [13].

This shift in our very own microbial environment may be one of the most powerful drivers of the modern allergy and asthma epidemic.

‍

How our homes may be working against us

One of the issues with spending more time indoors [11], is that houses naturally accumulate dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, synthetic materials, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as common household cleaning products. [14]

How can organic compounds be dangerous?

When most people hear organic, they picture green smoothies, farmers’ markets, and chemical-free living. But in science, “organic compounds” can be a little more… sneaky. Enter VOCs (volatile organic compounds) - easily evaporating chemicals that persist quietly in your home’s air.

VOCs aren’t rare or exotic. They’re hiding in plain sight.

Formaldehyde lurks in many household cleaners, acetone powers nail-polish remover, and arts-and-crafts favourites like glue and markers give off VOCs too. Even everyday materials treated with flame retardants or stain repellents can release them into the air you breathe.

‍

And here’s where your lungs come in.

‍

VOC exposure has been linked to a range of health effects, with the respiratory system taking the biggest hit. Studies show that combined exposure to indoor VOCs can impair lung function in adults with asthma [15], and growing evidence suggests children may be even more vulnerable. Kids breathe more air relative to their body size - which means they also inhale higher doses of whatever is hiding in it.

The effects may even start before birth [15]. Research indicates that frequent use of chemical-based products during pregnancy is associated with persistent wheezing in young children. In other words, what’s in the air around us - long before we notice it - can shape respiratory health from the very beginning.

‍

Can We Reverse the Trend?

There is good news.

We may not be able to change the genetic predispositions people carry - but we can absolutely change the environments shaping respiratory health.

Many of these asthma triggers are modifiable, and community-level interventions can make a real difference. For instance, environmental action is a firs port-of-call for improving asthma outcomes. This may include reducing emissions, and creating green urban spaces to increase outdoor play and reduce air pollution.

‍

So… what does this all mean?

Asthma doesn’t have a single cause, and it certainly doesn’t have a single solution. It is shaped by a web of interacting factors - climate change, urban design, indoor environments, immune development, nutrition, pollution, and lifestyle - all layering together to influence how our airways develop, respond, and inflame over time.

What’s striking is that many of the forces driving the asthma surge are not biological accidents, but by-products of modern living.

The encouraging takeaway? If asthma is being shaped by our environments, then improving those environments - from the air we breathe to the spaces we live in - offers powerful opportunities for prevention, better control, and healthier lungs for future generations.

‍

‍

References

  1. Goshua, A., Sampath, V., Efobi, J. A., & Nadeau, K. (2023). The Role of Climate Change in Asthma. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 1426, 25–41. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32259-4_2
  2. Soler-Segovia, Consequences of climate change for asthma: Reviewing the evidence, D. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 2025:46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100630
  3. Oh J. W. (2022). Pollen Allergy in a Changing Planetary Environment. Allergy, asthma & immunology research, 14(2), 168–181. https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2022.14.2.168
  4. Caillaud, D., Leynaert, B., Keirsbulck, M., Nadif, R., & mould ANSES working group (2018). Indoor mould exposure, asthma and rhinitis: findings from systematic reviews and recent longitudinal studies. European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society, 27(148), 170137. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0137-2017
  5. Wilgus, M. L., & Merchant, M. (2024). Clearing the Air: Understanding the Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma and COPD. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 12(3), 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12030307
  6. Adams K and Knuth C. (2024). The effect of urban heat islands on pediatric asthma exacerbation: How race plays a role. Urban Climate. 53;101833. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.101833
  7. Haahtela T (2019). A biodiversity hypothesis. Allergy - European Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 74(8); 1445-1456. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1111/all.13763
  8. Rook G. A. W. (2023). The old friends hypothesis: evolution, immunoregulation and essential microbial inputs. *Frontiers in allergy. 4;*1220481. https://doi.org/10.3389/falgy.2023.1220481
  9. Hanying L et al (2022). The Development of Early Life Microbiota in Human Health and Disease. Engineering. 12;101-114. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2020.12.014
  10. Dimitroulopoulou S et al (2023). Indoor air quality guidelines from across the world: An appraisal considering energy saving, health, productivity, and comfort. Environment INternational. 178;108127. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108127
  11. Hanski, I., von Hertzen, L., Fyhrquist, N., Koskinen, K., Torppa, K., Laatikainen, T., Karisola, P., Auvinen, P., Paulin, L., Mäkelä, M. J., Vartiainen, E., Kosunen, T. U., Alenius, H., & Haahtela, T. (2012). Environmental biodiversity, human microbiota, and allergy are interrelated. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(21), 8334–8339. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205624109
  12. Von Hertzen, L., Hanski, I., & Haahtela, T. (2011). Natural immunity. Biodiversity loss and inflammatory diseases are two global megatrends that might be related. EMBO reports, 12(11), 1089–1093. https://doi.org/10.1038/embor.2011.195
  13. David, E., & Niculescu, V. C. (2021). Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as Environmental Pollutants: Occurrence and Mitigation Using Nanomaterials. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(24), 13147. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413147
  14. Dales, R., & Raizenne, M. (2004). Residential Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds and Asthma. Journal of Asthma, 41(3), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1081/JAS-120026082
  15. Sherriff A, Farrow A, Golding J*, et alFrequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age childrenThorax* 2005;**60:**45-49. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2004.021154

‍

About Diag-Nose.io

Diag-Nose.io, founded in 2020, is a TechBio company focused on translating the complexities of the unified airway into precision diagnostic and drug discovery solutions.

Their precision medicine technology combines advanced proteomics, computational biology, and AI (machine learning) to create a scalable respiratory biology model. This innovation aims to help clinicians prescribe the right treatments faster and enable researchers to accelerate the development of new therapies.

The company’s flagship platform, RhinoMAP™, leverages proteomic data to predict respiratory disease activity, monitor therapy response and predict treatment efficacy in advance, with an initial focus on anti-Th2 biologics.

Learn more at Diag-Nose.io

About the author

Beth Wright

Junior Researcher

Beth Wright, a Junior Researcher at Diag-Nose, expertly aims to improve accessibility of medical information and research in the field of Respiratory Disease.

Beth holds a BBiomedSc. from Monash University.

‍