The Environmental Illness Resource is an information resource and interactive community site for people suffering from a range of chronic illnesses which are poorly understood and for which there is currently very limited healthcare available. We have chosen to group these conditions under the title of 'Environmental Illnesses' and they include chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and allergies. Detailed descriptions of all the illnesses we cover can be found in the 'Illness Overviews' menu.

A study involving athletes from countries across Europe will look at how many are affected by exercise induced asthma and other allergic airway diseases during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Asthma occurs as a result of the airways becoming hypersensitive to various stressors which results in constriction and breathing difficulties.

Factors which can trigger asthma attacks include allergens, air temperature and humidity, exertion and particulate and chemical pollution (particularly oxides of sulphur and nitrogen) in the air.