SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois taxpayers have the opportunity this year to contribute to a variety of special funds through their 2003 individual state income tax returns, including six administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Three of the Department funds are new this year - Asthma and Lung Research Fund, Leukemia Treatment and Education Fund and the Lou Gehrig's Disease Research Fund - while the other three have been included on the state income tax returns for at least several years.

"Illinois taxpayers have been very generous in giving to these funds and this year they have some additional choices," said Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director. "I hope they remain committed to these important causes for each dollar donated brings us closer to improved treatment options and to finding a cure."

The new funds are:

• Asthma and Lung Research Fund (line 28k of the 2003 IL-1040 state income tax return). Asthma is a major public health problem of increasing concern. There are no preventive measures or cures for asthma, but it can be controlled by taking medication and avoiding environmental triggers, such as mold, tobacco smoke, dust mites and certain chemicals. An estimated 1 million adults in Illinois have suffered or currently suffer from asthma. The disease results in approximately 22,500 hospitalizations each year, with children younger than age 15 accounting for the highest number. Illinois has one of the nation's highest mortality rates from asthma-related causes with approximately 280 deaths a year. Contributions to this fund will support the Asthma Clinic Research Program administered by the American Lung Association.
• Leukemia Treatment and Education Fund (line 28 l). Each year, more than 1,450 persons in Illinois are diagnosed with leukemia and approximately 950 die from the disease. Contributions to this fund will help support education and treatment of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
• Lou Gehrig's Disease Research Fund (line 28i). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord and eventually leads to death. More than 5,600 people in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year. In Illinois, nearly 200 people die each year of the disease. Contributions will be used to make grants to the Les Turner ALS Foundation, which is affiliated with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

The other Department funds are:

• · Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund (line 28c of the 2003 IL-1040 state income tax return). Donations are used to find a cause, cure and more effective ways to diagnose and treat this debilitating disease, which afflicts about 210,600 people in Illinois. Since the fund first appeared on the 1985 state tax form, taxpayers have contributed $2.7 million to support 118 research projects.
• Penny Severns Breast and Cervical Cancer Research Fund (line 28e). Breast and cervical cancers account for nearly one-third of all cancers diagnosed annually among women in Illinois. Money contributed to this fund, named after former state Sen. Penny Severns of Decatur who died in 1998 from breast cancer, is used to advance the understanding and techniques effective in early detection, prevention and treatment. Since the fund first appeared on the 1993 state tax form, $1.9 million has been donated to help fund 85 research projects.
• Prostate Cancer Research Fund (line 28f). Donations are used for research into the cause and treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in American men and claims the lives of an estimated 28,900 men each year - 1,300 in Illinois. Since the fund first appeared on the 1999 state tax form, about $500,000 has been donated.

A fund must generate a minimum of $100,000 each year in order to appear on the next year's tax form. Any amount of $1 or more can be given to the funds by writing in a donation amount on the appropriate line. The amount contributed will either be deducted from any refund or added to the amount due.

Direct contributions also may be made to the Department's funds by sending a check, payable to the Illinois Department of Public Health, to P.O. Box 4263, Springfield, IL 62708. The designated fund should be clearly noted on the check.