Links between early-life air pollution and lung function persist into adolescence
Air pollution can cause a wide range of adverse health effects, including COPD, asthma, low birth weight, cancer, cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of premature death. A new study from the University of Copenhagen, Danish Pediatric Asthma Center and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital shows that even small differences in exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and the first years of life…
A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the Danish Pediatric Asthma Center, and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital reveals that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and the first years of a child's life can have lasting effects on lung function throughout adolescence. The study, published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research, found that children exposed to higher concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) had lower lung capacity at age 6 and a slower rate of lung function development throughout childhood and into adolescence.
Even small differences in air pollution levels, such as an increase of just 2 micrograms per cubic meter of air during pregnancy, were associated with a nearly 2% decrease in lung capacity in 6-year-old children. While air pollution levels in Denmark have decreased over recent decades, they remain above the World Health Organization's recommended level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
The study emphasizes the need for continued efforts to improve air quality at the European level to protect children's health and combat climate change.
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