The city has put into place a new law to help families breathe easier in their own homes in response to high rates of asthma-related hospital visits in the Bronx.

The legislation requires landlords to remove all asthma triggers in their apartments, including mold and rodent droppings. Councilman Ritchie Torres says he backed local law 55 because he experienced frequent asthma attacks and hospital visits when he was a child living in public housing.

Seven of the 10 city neighborhoods impacted by asthma are in the Bronx, the councilman says. And, he adds, the rate of hospitalization in Tremont is double the rate citywide.

Workers from the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition will be working with families and building management to help tenants identify asthma triggers in their homes.