When the EPA banned Primatene Mist for sale at the end of 2011, it took away the only over-the-counter inhaler to help asthmatics and COPD sufferers cope with their symptoms including shortness of breath.

Without Primatene Mist, Americans lacking health insurance or the means to afford a doctor's visit and costly prescription inhalers either need to go to the emergency room -- which can cost thousands of dollars -- or simply endure the pain and shortness of breath. Neither is acceptable.

The EPA claims it banned the inhaler because it contains chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which could contribute to global warming. However, the EPA allows the sale of some prescription inhalers which contain CFCs. The EPA also has no idea how to dispose of the existing Primatene Mist inhalers without letting those CFCs escape into the environment. For both of these reasons, the EPA's decision to block the sale of the approximately one million Primatene Mists collecting dust on warehouse shelves goes against common sense.

Notably, Armstrong Pharmaceuticals a subsidiary of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals and the maker Primatene Mist has promised to donate all the net profits from the sale of Primatene Mist to charity, which could total in the millions.

The EPA should do the right thing and put Primatene Mist back on the market immediately. Protecting the environment is important -- but it should not come at the cost of the health of millions of asthma and COPD sufferers.

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