PITTSBURGH -- Starting Jan. 1, the government will require asthma and allergy sufferers to use a new kind of rescue inhaler.

The new inhalers will be better for the environment, but the cost to users will total millions of dollars.

The main ingredient in inhalers is albuterol. That will stay the same, but the propellant used to deliver it will change to a chemical known as Hydrofluoroalkane or HFA.

Allegheny General Hospital asthma specialist Dr. Deborah Gentile says the old propellants are chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs.

“They actually cause depletion of the ozone layer, which can contribute to increased skin cancer risks and just problems in general,” Gentile said. Right now almost all inhalers are sold as generic products, which means patients can get them for a very low price.

After the switch all inhalers will be name brand, which means they will cost more.

Tammie Ferraro of Butler County uses an inhaler and so do her two children. That means she is buying about three inhalers a month.

Ferraro has a good insurance plan, so she has been paying $10 for each generic inhaler, or $360 a year.

After the switch,her co-pay will rise to $35 for each inhaler because she will have to buy a brand-name inhaler instead of the generic inhalers she has been buying.

That means her family will be now be paying $1,200 a year for inhalers.

And Gentile has another concern about the new inhalers.

While the drug albuterol is the same, the new propellant isn’t as forceful and doesn't shoot cold air into a user’s throat like the old kind.

Gentile worries that may cause some users to think they're not getting enough medicine and they may use more and overdose.

Information on how to get a free inhaler and discounts on new inhalers:

-Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
-ProAir
-Ventolin