​Air pollution damaging at all stages of life, research shows

A review of key evidence on the effects of air pollution, drawing from more than 35,000 studies in the last 10 years, has detailed the ways it causes harm from pre-birth to old age.

The researchers, from Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group, said particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are particularly harmful – both of which come from vehicle exhausts.

The authors wrote: “While headline figures on the health impact of air pollution focus on the equivalent number of premature deaths, the wider impacts are hiding in plain sight in the contribution of air pollution to the burden of chronic diseases.

“These affect our quality of life and have a large cost to society through additional health and social care costs, as well our ability to learn, work and contribute to society."

During pregnancy, air pollution harms foetal development and can cause low birth weight, miscarriages and a low sperm count in men.

In children, it can stunt lung growth, cause asthma and affect blood pressure, cognitive abilities and mental health.

In adulthood, it makes early death more likely through multiple chronic illnesses, cancer and strokes.

“Perhaps, the most important new finding is evidence related to both the impact of air pollution on brain health, including mental health and dementia, and early life impacts that could lead to future health burdens within the population,” the authors wrote.

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah was the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death for an individual person in the UK. She died in 2013 aged nine.