If you took a deep breath in Knoxville, Tenn., you would not complain about having any problems. But according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Knoxville is the most challenging place to live for someone who has asthma.

But according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Knoxville is the most challenging place to live for someone who has asthma. If you are likemost of the students who attend the university, walking and biking is an essential part of your day. You walk or bike to class, work and even the Kingston Pike grocery store. So who would have ever thought that the air you are breathing is listed as the worst in the nation?

I discovered this fact when I was randomly browsing through news sites. And honestly it astonished me. I am an athlete and I'm currently running, rowing and biking in an unhealthy atmosphere. My theory is if I can work-out in Knoxville, I should be able to do better everywhere else.

The asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, AAFA, has been conducting their research since 2004 by evaluating the top one hundred largest metropolitan areas in America.

Utilizing twelve factors which are grouped in three categories, the AAFA goes on to rank the quality of life for people who have asthma in that area.

The AAFA lists these categories as:

• Prevalence factors such as the crude death rate (CDR) for asthma and estimated prevalence of adult and pediatric asthma.

• Risk factors such as air pollution, pollen counts and public smoking bans.

• Medical factors such as the number of asthma medications used per patient and the number of asthma specialists in the area.

These three categories all add up together to form the list of metropolitan areas with the worst quality of air for asthma patients:

• Knoxville, Tenn. (and this hasn't been the first time)

• Tulsa, Okla.

• Milwaukee, Wis.

• Atlanta

• Memphis, Tenn.

Knoxville has continuously been ranked on the list of cities with the worst air quality in the nation and this will be the third time is five year. But the bigger question everyone is asking is why is the air quality so bad?

This is becuase of "higher than average annual pollen levels, high air pollution, lack of '100 percent smoke-free' laws, patient over-use of asthma rescue medications and other important factors," said the AAFA.

It's not surprising Knoxville has an air pollution problem, because we do happen to be surrounded by mountains, which can deter the movement of pollution. While I do see the problems within our beautiful city of Knoxville, we can't change where we live (and why would we want to?). 

What it really comes down to is us, the students, the teenagers and the future generation. We have to voice our opinions about what we want our future to be, how we want to live our lives, and how we can improve the world for our generation.

While Knoxville may be on the top of the worst air quality in the nation now, it could change in the future. We as a metropolitan city need to change for the future.