What Age Groups Are Mainly Affected by Air Pollution?

Air pollution comes in many forms: car exhaust, factory pollution, secondhand smoke. Although air pollution is a health danger to all people, some groups are likely to be largely unaffected. People of different age groups and health conditions may be more likely to be harmed by air pollution, which can lead to respiratory diseases and even death.

Adults

• Healthy adults are often unaffected by air pollution. Although air pollution is damaging to everyone, healthy adults usually experience only mild symptoms of air pollution damage, such as throat and lung irritation. However, adults with health issues or diseases that weaken their immune system are vulnerable to air pollution. These adults may experience dangerous asthma attacks or difficulty breathing that can lead to hospitalization. A weak immune system can be dangerous in polluted areas.

Elderly Adults

• People over the age of 60 are more likely to be affected by environmental issues such as air pollution. Elderly adults have weaker immune systems and their bodies are more vulnerable to damage from pollution, because they heal slower than healthy, younger adults. Air pollution can cause elderly adults to suffer from bronchitis and other throat and lung disorders. These issues can lead to hospitalization, long-term health damage or even death.

Infants and Young Children

• Infants and young children have extremely weak immune systems, since those systems are still in the development stage. As babies breast-feed, their immune systems strengthen, because the babies get antibodies from their mothers. However, many women no longer breast-feed, and even babies that do are still vulnerable to air pollution -- until around 6 years of age. Air pollution can cause reduced lung functions, bronchitis, asthma and respiratory death in infants, toddlers and young children.

Unborn Children

• Developing fetuses and embryos are extremely sensitive to environmental effects. Pregnant women provide food and everything a developing baby needs, but this also means that any negative environment a pregnant woman encounters can affect her baby. Air pollution can cause slow fetal development, growth restrictions, reduced weight gain and a heightened likelihood of a preterm birth. Infants that are born may experience brain, respiratory and digestive problems later in life. Heart disease and diabetes become likely.