IT WAS just after his third birthday, when the season changed to autumn, that the first sign that Joshua Cohen-Morgan had asthma emerged,

His mother, Shelley, said: “I noticed Joshua’s breathing wasn’t right. He was using his neck muscles too much. He was breathless and wheezing.”

Joshua, now 8, manages his condition with the help of an inhaler, which opens the airways.

Although the cause of asthma is unknown, Mrs Cohen-Morgan believes that weather changes trigger Joshua’s asthma attacks. She also suspects that household chemicals and pollution bring on attacks, and is vigilant in keeping her home free of household cleaners and dust.

“Everything I buy is organic. I stay clear of anything with chemicals in it,” she said. “I don’t use polish, air fresheners or household chemicals. Joshua doesn’t need to be inhaling any aerosol-based products.”

Mrs Cohen-Morgan said a new study that linked frequent use of household cleaning products and other chemicals to asthma was not surprising.

“I just think that more research needs to be done so that we can know more about what actually triggers asthma, because it’s a growing problem,” she said.

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