6 Ways the American Lung Association Has Improved Our Lives in the Past 120 Years

Today, the American Lung Association is celebrating 120 years of championing lung health by highlighting ways the organization has improved public health and changed lives of people across America. On June 6, 1904, a young doctor named Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau founded the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, which would later be called the American Lung Association. 

“The Lung Association pioneered a groundbreaking model of education, advocacy and research to address critical public health and lung health issues. I am proud to be a part of an organization that has saved countless lives over the years,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “On our 120th birthday, it is critical to reflect on the mark we have made on the world, but also to acknowledge what else needs to be done to end the burden of lung disease, and work to address increasing threats to lung health like vaping, climate change, new respiratory viruses and more.”

Since its founding, the Lung Association has led significant public health achievements. Here are six ways that the American Lung Association has changed lives since its founding 120 years ago:

1. Ending the Devastation of Tuberculosis: When the American Lung Association was founded, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in the U.S. and the most feared disease in the world. Over a difficult 50-year fight, the Lung Association played a critical role in developing and funding increasingly effective weapons to prevent, detect and treat the disease. In 1950, with research funding from the American Lung Association, Dr. Edith Lincoln found isoniazid prevented the further spread of infection when given to household members of TB patients.
2. Saving Premature Babies: In 1959, Dr. Mary Ellen Avery, a Lung Association grantee, discovered that the lungs of babies with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) lack the fatty substance surfactant. This finding led to ways to treat RDS. It is estimated that more than 800,000 babies’ lives were saved over the next 50 years, with many more since then. 
3. Supporting the Surgeon General Report on Smoking and Lung Cancer: On January 11, 1964, the American Lung Association stood with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Luther Terry as he publicly released the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health. This was the first time that smoking cigarettes was officially linked to lung cancer and chronic bronchitis in men, and the beginning of a nationwide effort to reduce smoking in the U.S. 
4. Launching Asthma and COPD Clinical Research: In 2000, the American Lung Association launched the Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) network to undertake patient-centered research focused on asthma. This later expanded to include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was renamed to the Airways Clinical Research Centers. This is now the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and COPD. In the last 24 years, there have been more than 100 publications showing the results from critical research studies conducted by investigators in the ACRC network.
5. Creating an Initiative to End Lung Cancer: In 2014, the American Lung Association launched LUNG FORCE, one of the first initiatives dedicated to ending lung cancer. Since 2014, LUNG FORCE has raised more than $30 million for lifesaving lung cancer research, helped increase the lung cancer survival rate by 52% and had more than one million people take a quiz to see if they are eligible for lung cancer screening.
6. Taking Action with Research, Education and Advocacy Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic: In early 2020, shortly after the world went into lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Lung Association jumped into action and launched the COVID-19 Action Initiative to end COVID-19 and defend against future respiratory virus pandemics. This effort played key role in promoting COVID-19 health measures and urged everyone in the U.S. to get vaccinated.

These are just a few of the many advancements that the Lung Association has made in public health. The new historical timeline shows the progress made in the past 120 years and helps celebrate the impact of the Lung Association’s work. Today, the Lung Association focuses on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer, create a tobacco-free future, champion clean air for all, and improve the quality of life for those living with lung disease.

When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters®. Join the American Lung Association in their journey to champion lung health and help celebrate 120 Years of Impact. Donate today at Lung.org/donate and purchase custom 120th anniversary gear here.