UK Study Finds Air Pollution Stunts Lung Growth in 5,000 Children Into Age 24

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 29

More than 5,000 people born around Bristol in the 1990s showed slower lung development from childhood to age 24 when exposure to air pollution was higher during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood.
Researchers linked both particle pollution and nitrogen dioxide to the effect after adjusting for premature birth, breastfeeding, parental smoking and housing conditions such as damp.
Adolescence appeared to be the most sensitive period because lung growth accelerates then, although the study said the individual effects were small and unlikely to cause immediate clinical problems.
Scientists warned that lower peak lung function can leave people with less respiratory reserve in later life, raising vulnerability to respiratory illness and potentially heart disease.
The findings add longer-term evidence to earlier studies in east London and Sweden showing children’s lungs shrink with dirtier air and improve when air quality gets better.

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