FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lung Health Starts Early and Needs Protecting Throughout Life
World Lung Day 2026 puts a spotlight on lung health across the life course
NEW YORK, NY – Sept. 24, 2026 – Lung health begins early in life and needs to remain a priority throughout, said the global respiratory community on World Lung Day 2026.
This year’s World Lung Day theme, A Lifetime of Lung Health, is led by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), which brings together nine leading respiratory organizations representing around 100,000 respiratory health professionals worldwide.
FIRS is calling for greater focus on the factors that shape lung health across the life course, including lung development in childhood, the air we breathe, exposure to tobacco and nicotine, infections, occupational and environmental risks, access to health care and healthy lung aging.
The lungs develop rapidly before birth and during childhood, making the early years particularly important. But lung health continues to be shaped by our environments, behaviors and access to health care throughout adulthood and into older age.
FIRS is using World Lung Day to highlight four connected areas:
Healthy Lung Development – Protecting lung development from the earliest stages of life and reducing exposure to factors that can damage developing lungs, including air pollution and tobacco.
Healthy Lung Growth – Supporting children and young people to reach their full lung potential and addressing preventable risks that can affect lung health into adulthood.
Healthy Lungs for Life – Preventing respiratory disease, supporting early diagnosis and ensuring people can access the care they need, while tackling environmental and social factors that affect lung health.
Healthy Lung Aging – Recognizing the importance of maintaining lung health as we age and ensuring respiratory conditions are identified and treated appropriately in later life.
Around the world, respiratory diseases continue to place a major burden on individuals, families and health systems. Many of the factors that influence lung health are preventable or can be addressed through earlier action.
That means protecting lung health cannot be the responsibility of health care professionals alone.
Governments can create healthier environments and stronger health systems. Communities can support healthier places to live and work. Health professionals can strengthen prevention, diagnosis and care. And individuals can take steps to protect their own lung health.
This World Lung Day, FIRS is asking the global respiratory community to share the action they are taking to protect lung health and to help make lung health part of the conversation at every stage of life.
World Lung Day takes place on Sept. 25, 2026. FIRS is inviting respiratory organizations, health care professionals, patient groups, advocates and communities around the world to join the campaign, share their activities and help put lung health on the agenda.
The American Thoracic Society, a founding member of FIRS, shared this message from Michelle Gong, MD, ATSF, president.
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Notes to editors
About the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS)
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is an organization comprising the world's leading international respiratory societies working together to improve lung health globally: American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic Society (ATS), Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), Asociación Latino Americana De Tórax (ALAT), European Respiratory Society (ERS), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (The Union), Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD).
The goal of FIRS is to unify and enhance efforts to improve lung health through the combined work of its more than 100,000 members globally.
FIRS launched World Lung Day in 2017 to raise awareness of the importance of lung health and the need for action to prevent and treat respiratory disease.
World Lung Day resources are available from FIRS for organizations and individuals wishing to support the campaign. For more information about FIRS please contact Helen Dugdale at helen.dugdale@firsnet.org. For more information about ATS, contact Dacia Morris at dmorris@thoracic.org.
About the American Thoracic Society
Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical society dedicated to accelerating the advancement of global respiratory health through multidisciplinary collaboration, education, and advocacy. Core activities of the Society’s more than 22,000 members are focused on leading scientific discoveries, advancing professional development, impacting global health, and transforming patient care. Key areas of member focus include developing clinical practice guidelines, hosting the annual International Conference, publishing four peer-reviewed journals, advocating for improved respiratory health globally, and developing an array of patient education and career development resources.
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