Exposure

• Children have three times the risk of developing asthma when their sporting facility has high ozone concentrations (Respire, 2024)
• Children breath 33% less traffic pollution when opting for less busy back roads (Fuller et al., 2023)
• Aviation exhaust related with more respiratory symptoms in children, as traffic-related and aviation UFP are independently associated with increase in respiratory symptoms in 7-11 year old children (Lenssen et al., 2024)
• “Every 2 minutes in the UK a baby is born in an area with dangerously polluted air” (Waddell, 2024)
• Wildfire smoke 10x more harmful for children’s lungs than air pollution from other sources (Gammon, 2024)
• It was found that increased levels of lead in the air causes higher infant mortality in the first month after birth and in the first year (Day, 2025)
• Exposure to neighbourhoods with higher density of wood or coal smoke-producing households is associated with an increased odds of ED visits during early childhood, found New Zealand study (Lai et al., 2017)
• 325 million children live in countries where average annual particulate matter (PM2.5) levels exceed World Health Organization (WHO) guideline levels by more than five times (UNICEF, 2025)
  
  • Every child in East Asia and the Pacific, which is about 500 million children in total, live in countries with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
  • 373 million children live in countries with unhealthy levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)
  • 91 percent of children in the region (453 million) live in countries where ozone pollution exceeds WHO guideline levels
  • Children are closer to ground level ozone, making them more vulnerable to asthma, lung damage, and developmental delays

Health Risks

• Kids who had grandmothers that smoked during pregnancy have higher risk of developing asthma, regardless of the smoking activity of the mother (Korten et al., 2017)
• “Children around the world continue to experience poor health due to exposure to air pollution.”  It is the second leading risk factor for death among children under 5 (second only to malnutrition) averaging about 700,000 deaths and 15% of all global deaths. Luckily, the death rate decreased by >50% since 2000 (Wright & Pant, 2024)
• 1 out of every 14 children admitted to hospitals with asthma exacerbations can be attributed to air pollution.  10,000 children between 2017 and 2019 admitted (Fuller, 2004)
• In the UK in 2019: 3,000 new cases of asthma and 4,000 lower respiratory infections in children (Fuller, 2004)
• Symptoms of childhood asthma worsened by polluted air - can trigger asthma attacks - if already diagnosed (State of Global Air | 2024)
• Higher noise pollution exposure increased risk of anxiety (Day, 2024)
• Lung capacity of children reduced by 5% when NO2 levels are above the legal levels (Waddell, 2024)
• Make sure children get regular annual asthma reviews, use medication correctly according to prescription and asthma action plan, minimise vehicular air pollution exposure, avoid outdoor activities during high pollution days, and eat well and exercise (Waddell, 2024)
• Exposure to ozone associated with accelerated BMI gain, increasing risk of childhood obesity (Day, 2024)
• 800 children admitted to Homerton Hospital with difficulties breathing in 2023 (Studio ANRK, 2024)
• “Air pollution is linked to nearly one in four deaths of children under five in East Asia and the Pacific” (UNICEF, 2025)
• The harm from air pollution begins in the womb and throughout childhood (UNICEF, 2025)
• Air pollution causes reduced lung function, increased risk of stunting, lower cognitive development, and increased prevalence of respiratory diseases (Health Effects Institute, 2025)
• UNICEF recently revealed that one in every three children on the planet had levels of lead in their blood above 5 µg/dL (micrograms per decilitre), a benchmark for high lead exposure (Day, 2025)
• East African newborns are disproportionately affected by household air pollution, leading to an estimated 83,000 newborns having died in the first month as a result of prenatal exposure to PM 2.5. 30% of all newborn deaths in the first month across the region are linked to air pollution exposure (Health Effects Institute, 2025)
• Increases in exposure to PM2.5 have also been associated with a greater risk for anemia as well as a decrease in hemoglobin levels in children A multicountry study using DHS data reported an association between annual exposure to PM2.5 and adverse cognitive development outcomes in children aged 3–4 years (Odo et al. 2023).
• Lung growth improved for children who moved to areas with less air particle pollution (Avon et al., 2001)
• Those exposed to higher levels of air pollution at ages two to four had a 15-30% higher risk of reporting worse health at age 17. At ages five to seven, the association was weaker with a 14-16% higher risk (UCL, 2025)
  
  • Associations were more robust for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5

Academics

• LEZ had same effect on improving Key Stage 2 test scores as reducing class size by 10 or paying teacher bonuses or increasing teacher quality (LSE, 2024)
• Larger positive impact on low-performing schools, so can reduce educational disparities, benefits greater in economically disadvantaged populations (LSE, 2024)
• Effect increases over time, so long-term reduction in pollution could yield more educational improvement outcomes (LSE, 2024)