Asthma

• For every 10 μg/m³ increment in PM2.5, the risk of childhood and adult asthma increases by 21.4% (Day, 2024)
• We estimate that globally in 2019, almost a third of asthma cases are attributable to long-term PM2.5 exposure (Day, 2024)
• About ⅔ of people with asthma say that air pollution made their asthma worse (coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, breathlessness) - risk of asthma attack (Asthma+Lung UK, 2023)
• Ozone is associated with worsening respiratory diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ozone triggers asthma because it is very irritating to the lungs and airways. (AAFA, 2024)
• Breathing in NO2 can cause someone to develop asthma, and worsen lung disease, especially asthma  (AAFA, 2024)
• SO2 can harm lungs and health (AAFA, 2024)
• Most at risk - people who already have lung disease (asthma) or heart disease, children, seniors, those who work outside, athletes, lower income communities, pregnant women, people who live near polluted areas. (AAFA, 2024)
• In a study of ten European cities, 14% of the cases of incident asthma in children and 15% of all exacerbations of childhood asthma were attributed to exposure to pollutants related to road traffic. (Guarnieri & Balmes, 2015)
• Air pollutants might cause oxidative injury to the airways that leads to inflammation and remodelling, which in a genetically predisposed individual could result in clinical asthma
• Short term exposure to PM 2.5–10 μm has  been associated with asthma symptoms, especially in children with allergic sensitisation (Guarnieri & Balmes, 2015)
• Long term exposure - poorly controlled asthma and decrements in lung function in children and adults (Guarnieri & Balmes, 2015)
• Asthma Study in Scotland: Personal exposure to air pollution can be significantly modified via behavior changes (McCarron et al., 2024)
  
  • Theory of Planned Behavior: predicts and explains intention and behavior based on three constructs: subjective norms, attitudes and perceived control
  • “Home as a safe space” concept where people adapt behavior (shut windows) to combat pollution from the outdoor environment (AKA home halo effect)
  • Natural areas served as comforting spaces, and study participants discussed desire to move away from the pollution
  • Noted inaccessibility of air pollution research due to jargon/unsureness of where to get reliable info
  • Need to encourage strategies that enhance perceived personal control/agency and engagement with accurate air quality information
• Asthma and Lung UK found air pollution had triggered potentially life-threatening asthma attacks or serious flare-ups of illness in one in five people with lung conditions (Gregory, 2025)
• Number of patients in the UK being treated by GPs for asthma has increased by 45% in a year (Gregory, 2025)
  
  • 99% of the UK population found to be breathing “toxic air”
  • Rate of asthma attacks in 2025 has consistently been above the 5-year national average
  • About 1 in 10 children in the UK have asthma
  • Children’s GP visits for asthma have increased, especially because they breathe in more air than adults
• Air pollution can cause or exacerbate conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer (Stebbing, 2025)
• Most widespread global chronic respiratory condition (McCarron et al., 2024)
• PM2.5, can penetrate deep into our lungs and even enter our bloodstream. This exposure has been linked to a wide range of serious health problems, including respiratory diseases. (Stebbing, 2025)
• Previous studies have indicated that fine particles can be virus carriers and facilitate their inhalation into the body (Wang et al., 2025)

Lung Cancer

• More than 1,100 people in the UK developed adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent lung cancer subtype, due to air pollution in 2022.(Gregory, 2025)
• The UK’s adenocarcinoma rates from air pollution were higher than the US and Canada and four times higher than Finland.(Gregory, 2025)
• Adenocarcinoma now accounts for 45.6% of lung cancer cases in men and 59.7% in women worldwide.(Gregory, 2025)
• The disease is especially prevalent among never-smokers, with 70% of cases occurring in this group.(Gregory, 2025)
• An estimated 200,000 adenocarcinoma cases globally were linked to air pollution in 2022.(Gregory, 2025)

COVID-19

• Prolonged PM2.5 exposure increases mortality (Wang et al., 2025)
• Long-term PM exposure can lead to an elevated number of cases (Wang et al., 2025)
• A study in China found that a 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with a 28.3% rise in COVID-19 mortality risk (Wang et al., 2025)