Air pollution harms children's health and development

What the research found

WHO reports say pregnant women exposed to polluted air are more likely to give birth early and have small, low birth-weight babies. Air pollution affects neurodevelopment, leading to lower cognitive test results. It also damages children's lung function, even at lower exposure levels, and is strongly linked to lung infections in children.

A 2021 review looked at exposure to fine and ultrafine particles during pregnancy. It found links to poorer birth outcomes and to effects on children's breathing, immune system, brain development and heart and metabolic health. It drew on both population studies and experimental models.

WHO says children are especially vulnerable because they breathe faster than adults and live closer to the ground, while their brains and bodies are still developing. A 2020 scoping review of 17 studies on children's breathing health found that nine showed a higher risk for children living in lower socioeconomic circumstances.

What it doesn’t mean

• WHO's death figures are global estimates, and most of the child deaths it attributes to air pollution occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The research summarised here does not say how much risk an individual child in Australia faces.
• This does not mean every child exposed to polluted air will be harmed. WHO describes children exposed to high levels as being at greater risk of chronic disease later in life, not as certain to develop it.
• If your child has asthma or breathing problems, or you are pregnant and worried about air quality, talk to your GP or child health nurse.