Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics with asthma are less likely to be in the care of a regular doctor or clinic; less likely to be prescribed appropriate medicines; less likely to have access to specialized care; and more likely to end up being treated in the emergency department or hospitalized in a crisis.

A major report released jointly this week by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change, the Center for American Progress and the National Wildlife Federation finds that nearly one in two Latinos live in areas where breathing is unhealthy and even deadly.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has obtained a preliminary injunction requiring a copper smelter in Chicago's mainly Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood to reduce lead emissions.

Across the country, in both urban neighborhoods and rural areas, including places along the U.S.-Mexican border, 65 percent of Latinos live in areas where the air fails to meet federal standards. Because of work or housing availability, the Latinos tend to live near some of the most polluted areas in the country.