Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Apr 1;23(2):100-110.
doi: 10.1097/ACI.0000000000000881. Epub 2022 Nov 24.

Air pollution and childhood asthma

Lana Mukharesh  1   2 , Wanda Phipatanakul  2   3 , Jonathan M Gaffin  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Air pollution and childhood asthma

Lana Mukharesh et al. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Environmental exposures, such as allergens and pollutants, are ubiquitous factors associated with asthma development and asthma morbidity. In this review, we highlight the most recent studies relevant to childhood asthma risk, onset, and exacerbation related to air pollution exposure.

Recent findings: In this article, we review current research that has been published between 2021 and 2022, demonstrating the effects of early-life exposure to key air pollutants (e.g., particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and ground-level ozone (O 3 ), environmental tobacco smoke, radon, and volatile organic compounds (VOC) on respiratory health.

Summary: Air pollution continues to be a global burden with serious consequences related to respiratory health. Interventions aimed at reducing air pollution in the environment must be achieved in an effort to improve asthma outcomes and pediatric health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Jonathan Gaffin receives research support from NIEHS/NIH, Vertex pharmaceuticals; consulting fees from Syneos Health and AiCME. Wanda Phipatanakul reports grant and clinical trial support from NIH, Genentech, Novartis, Astra Zeneca, Regeneron, GSK, Merck, Sanofi, and consulting fees from Genentech, Novartis, Astra Zeneca, Regeneron, GSK, Merck, Sanofi, and Teva.

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Sources of outdoor (left) and indoor (right) air pollution.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lai CK, Beasley R, Crane J, et al. Global variation in the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms: phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Thorax 2009; 64:476–483. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most recent national asthma data. 2020. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm.
    1. Forno E, Brandenburg DD, Castro-Rodriguez JA, et al. Asthma in the Americas: an update: a joint perspective from the Brazilian Thoracic Society, Canadian Thoracic Society, Latin American Thoracic Society, and American Thoracic Society. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2022; 19:525–535. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization (WHO). Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. 2021. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-q....
    1. Gauderman WJ, Avol E, Gilliland F, et al. The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age. N Engl J Med 2004; 351:1057–1067. - PubMed

Publication types