Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 99 Part 1.djvu/83

 PUBLIC LAW 99-32—MAY 14, 1985

99 STAT. 61

Public Law 99-32 99th Congress Joint Resolution Designating the week beginning on May 5, 1985, as "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Week".

Whereas asthma and allergic diseases result in physical, emotional, and economic hardship for more than thirty-five million Americans and their families; Whereas thousands of Americans, many of them young, die each year from asthma even though sufficient medical knowledge and resources exist to prevent many asthma-related deaths; Whereas student absenteeism is due in significant part to asthma and allergic diseases; Whereas environmental conditions in the workplace often cause or exacerbate asthma and allergic diseases among employees; Whereas many hospital patients suffer allergic reactions to prescribed medications; Whereas it is estimated that the American public pays $4,000,000,000 per year in medical bills directly attributable co the treatment and diagnosis of asthma and allergic diseases and pays another $2,000,000,000 per year as a result of the indirect social cost of such illnesses; Whereas, because of recent developments in the study of immunology, health care providers are better equipped to diagnose and treat asthma and allergic diseases; and Whereas increased public awareness of recent scientific advancements in the study of immunology will help many of the common misconceptions concerning asthma, allergic diseases, and the victims of those illnesses: Now, therefore, be it

May 14, 1985 [S.J. Res. 83]

�