How air pollution affects children

Image provided by Margaret Weir on Unsplash.

TL;DR: Air pollution affects children at every stage, putting at least 1.8 billion children around the world at serious risk. Indoor and outdoor air pollutants—from biomass smoke to vehicle emissions—can damage lungs, impair brain development, and raise the risk of asthma, chronic illness, and even cancer. Prenatal exposure increases the likelihood of low birth weight, preterm birth, and long-term health issues. Children are especially vulnerable because they breathe more rapidly, are closer to pollutant sources, and have developing organs. Reducing exposure requires coordinated action—from policy and monitoring to informed choices by families and communities.

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Air pollution has serious impacts on human health, leading to almost 7 million deaths per year. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution and roughly 93% of those under 15 years old breathe in air polluted enough to put their health and development at serious risk. That is 1.8 billion children. With this in mind, it is important to mitigate air pollution and take special precautions to protect children at risk.

Sources of air pollution affecting children

As with adults, both ambient (outdoor) and indoor pollution affect children. Common indoor pollution sources include the inefficient combustion of coal and biomass for cooking and heating. Hazardous air pollutants from open fires and inefficient stoves are particularly common in low- and middle-income countries, with rural, poor, and marginalized communities being the most vulnerable. Tobacco products and some building materials such as asbestos are also indoor air pollutants. 

Ambient air pollution has some natural sources, but it is primarily anthropogenic (man-made). Coal-fired power plants, agricultural practices, waste incineration, and especially transportation emissions are key sources of ambient air pollution. 

What makes children especially vulnerable to air pollution? 

Young children tend to breathe more rapidly than adults and inhale more air through their mouths, which allows pollutants to penetrate deep into the lower respiratory tract. Children also breathe in more air relative to their body weight, and their short stature brings them into close proximity to certain pollutants such as car emissions and dust. Children often spend more time outdoors and are more physically active, where they take in ambient air pollutants. These factors all lead to children usually breathing in more air pollutants than adults. 

To make matters worse, children’s lungs, brains, and immune systems are still developing, making them more susceptible to air pollution’s adverse effects. 

Air pollution’s effects on children

Air pollution is one of the leading threats to child health. It accounts for nearly 1 in 10 deaths in children under 5 years old. In 2016, the World Health Organization estimated that 600,000 children had died that year from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air. 

Air pollution damages children’s lung function and development. Pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), and especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increase the risk of developing respiratory infections, including pneumonia, acute lower respiratory infections, upper respiratory infections, and even ear infections. 

Short-term exposure can exacerbate allergies. Long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide (N₂O), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and particulate matter can contribute to the development of wheezing and asthma, while any exposure can exacerbate these symptoms. Traffic-related air pollution can even lead to childhood cancers, such as leukemia.

Air pollutant exposure at an early age also increases the likelihood of adverse health outcomes as children grow, extending into adulthood. Pollutants can impair lung development and put children at a greater risk for developing chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, later in life. 

Air pollution can even damage a child’s cognitive ability and neurodevelopment, impacting cognitive test outcomes and motor development. Unhealthy levels of air pollution near schools have been shown to affect school attendance and cause attention problems. In certain areas, schools may temporarily close due to polluted air. Cleaner air can improve a child’s memory by roughly 6%, and playing outside in clean air also has beneficial effects on children’s overall well-being. 

The Impacts of Air Pollution on Fetal Development

When pregnant mothers breathe in air pollution, it poses significant danger to fetal development in the womb. Air pollution in urban areas can increase the risk of various issues, including congenital malformation, intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia, hypertension, gestational diabetes, and neonatal mortality (death in the first month of life). Gestational exposures can also increase the risk of the child experiencing negative health outcomes later in life, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. 

Low birth weight is perhaps the dominant effect associated with ambient air pollution exposure. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of preterm birth and the likelihood of children being born smaller. These factors, in turn, put babies at a higher risk of infant mortality. Air pollution accounts for 26% of newborn deaths worldwide, mostly due to complications from low birth weight and preterm birth. Preterm births have been linked to the child developing asthma and some types of autism spectrum disorders.

Lastly, air pollution has been linked to intrauterine inflammation, a condition associated with a variety of adverse pregnancy outcomes and lifelong neurological and respiratory disorders in children. Fetuses are very sensitive to environmental factors, meaning that even small amounts of air pollution, at levels deemed acceptable by the EPA, can have consequences for fetal development and health.

Protecting children from air pollution

Given their vulnerabilities, children need special consideration and action to protect them from the harmful effects of air pollution. Fortunately, there are some steps that can be taken to reduce children’s exposure to pollution emissions. 

Governments can set up air quality monitoring systems and establish open data sharing with the public. Places where children tend to spend time, such as playgrounds and schools, can be prioritized. Policies, legislation, and incentives for green alternatives can further help reduce air pollution overall. 

It is important to educate the general public and raise awareness about the dangers of air pollution for children and fetal development. With this knowledge, families can reduce time spent in areas with high air pollution, such as traffic corridors, and minimize strenuous outdoor activities when ambient air pollution levels are high. 

Indoors, families can use cleaner fuels and technologies to reduce indoor pollution. Children and pregnant women should also avoid sources of indoor smoke. Maintaining overall healthy diets and lifestyles can also minimize air pollution’s negative effects. 

Looking forward

Air quality monitoring enables informed policy-making to improve air quality. Open air quality data can allow families to make the best decisions for themselves and their children to reduce their exposure to harmful emissions. Protecting children requires accurate air quality information. Learn how you can build your own solution with Clarity.