Health

Air pollution is bad for your health. Adverse health effects can be caused by short and long-term exposures to air pollution. Particulate matter is the component of air pollution known to cause the most health impacts as particulate matter of 10 microns or smaller can lodge deep inside the lungs and even enter your blood stream. Children, the elderly and poor people are more susceptible to the harmful health effects of bad air.

Children are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution than adults because their lungs are not fully developed until their late teens. Children’s exposure to air pollution is greater than adults as they breathe more air per pound of body weight. Exposure to air pollution has been shown to cause impacts on the pulmonary development in children.

You can learn more from public health professional Michael Brauer in our exclusive interview, as well as some more detailed information on health studies for adults and children in this section.