When it comes to lung health, Kentucky has its challenges.
The Commonwealth has one of the highest rates of lung disease in the nation—some 50 percent higher than the national average—owing in part to the state’s high smoking and radon-exposure rates.
KET’s new Lung Health collection on PBS LearningMedia features health and science resources for students in grades 6-8 from Fighting to Breathe: Lung Disease in Kentucky, a special series exploring the effects of pollution, tobacco, and radon on our lungs and the screening and treatment of lung-related illnesses. Each resource is accompanied by a background essay, discussion questions and vocabulary terms.
The Fighting to Breathe broadcast series examines the under-told story of lung disease in Kentucky: the causes, the impact on those afflicted and the exciting new developments in treatment and prevention.
Hosts Renee Shaw and Dr. Wayne Tuckson speak with researchers, experts, advocates and survivors who reveal eye-opening information that challenges our basic assumptions about lung health. Along the way, viewers will learn about the anatomy of the respiratory system as well as the resilience and vulnerability of the human lung which inhales and exhales over 400 liters of air every hour.