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Health Effects of Air Pollution on Children

According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, children are more susceptible to air pollution than adults. When exercising at a maximum rate, a child takes in 20 to 50 percent more air and air pollution than an adults would. Children spend more time outside than adults do; an average of 20 percent of their time is spent outside, compared to 5 to 15 percent for adults. Most importantly, children's bodies are still developing, so air pollution must be kept in mind when children are playing outside on a smoggy day or in a polluted area.

  1. Immune System

    • Two major types of pollution---ozone and nitrogen dioxide---are harmful to a child's immune system. Because children are developing, their immune systems need to be strong because they face many illnesses, viruses and bacteria for the first time. Ozone is released into the air when chemicals in the troposphere damage the ozone layer. These particles then damage immune cells, called microphages, which leads to increased respiratory infections, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Nitrogen dioxide inhibits the immune system as a whole, reducing the overall ability to fight bacteria and viruses.

    Asthma

    • Nearly all major types of air pollution---including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and diesel---aggravate the symptoms of asthma in children. There is speculation that air pollution may have caused the increased number of asthma cases among children. These types of air pollution can increase the severity of asthma attacks, increase the chances of asthma developing into bronchitis and increase the number of asthma symptoms expressed, according to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

    Lead Poisoning

    • When lead was used as a gasoline additive, a large amount of it was released into the atmosphere. It's now off the market as an additive in the United States, but lead poisoning from the air is still a possibility in some places. Elevated levels of lead in the bloodstream can lead to a decrease in IQ and problems in perceptual-motor skills in children, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Lead poisoning may even cause kidney damage and blood pressure issues.

    Lung Damage

    • All types of air pollution can damage the lungs of developing children. As children grow, they require healthy lungs to get the oxygen they need. Pollution from ozone tends to break down the cells that line the lungs as well as the cells that repair those injured cells. Repeated exposure to air pollution might lead to accelerated aging of the lungs in children and adults, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Other types of air pollution may cause the lungs to not grow to their full potential or cause multiple respiratory conditions.

    Hospitals and School Absences

    • According to a health study performed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a high amount of air pollution tends to increase the number of daily respiratory hospital admissions. Children who go to the hospital to have their respiratory symptoms treated will miss more school. The combination of illness and the accumulation of school absences may be tough for a young child to overcome early in her development.

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