Doctors have long known that even short exposure to air pollution can make asthma less, but less is known about whether pollution increases the risk that children will develop asthma in the first place.
Researchers looked at data from nearly 780,000 Danish children born between 1997 and 2014. They followed up with the records to see if any of the children developed persistent plague and asthma between the ages of 1 and 15 years.
They found that children whose parents had asthma were also more likely to have asthma, as were children whose mothers smoked when they were pregnant.
But even when adjusting for these factors, it was when children were exposed to higher levels of small particle pollution and nitrate pollution that they were more likely to develop asthma and persistent wheezing compared to children who were not exposed.
For every additional 5μg-per-cubic meter increase in concentrations of these pollutants, there was about a 4 to 5% increase in asthma as persistent beeps.
Particle pollution
Particle pollution comes from power plants, cars, construction, agriculture and fires. Particle pollution, instead of exhaling, can sit in the lungs or enter the bloodstream. The particles can cause irritation and inflammation.
There are limitations to the study because it is observational and based on a model, and does not take into account the specific personal exposure of children to pollution. There is an underlying assumption that children spend the majority of the time in the area of their home address.
Personal air monitoring can add more detail to an assessment like this. There may also be other risk factors that cannot be determined by the data because it lacks individual level information.
Great health impact
Previous studies have shown that even at low levels of low particulate matter pollution children are more likely to develop asthma than if they lived in an area with cleaner air.
Exposure to pollution has also been linked to heart problems, cancer, and premature death. And it’s not just physical problems.
That is higher than was found in reports from the past. Scientists think the climate crisis will make it even harder to protect human health, as warmer temperatures make air pollution a much bigger problem.
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