aging of the lungs and increases chronic lung disease risk
There are surprisingly few studies that look at how air pollution affects lung health
enrolled in the UK Biobank study. The types of pollutants the researchers investigated included particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which are produced by burning fossil fuels from car and other vehicle exhausts, power plants and industrial emissions.
The research team then conducted multiple tests to see how long-term exposure to higher levels of the different air pollutants was linked to changes to participants' lung function
The data showed that for each annual average increase of five micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 in the air that participants were exposed to at home, the associated reduction in lung function was similar to the effects of two years of ageing.
The current EU air quality limits for PM2.5 is 25 micrograms per cubic meter
Worryingly, we found that air pollution had much larger effects on people from lower income households
increased COPD risk on lower-income participants compared to higher-income participants
Access to clean air is a fundamental need and right for all citizens in Europe. Governments have a responsibility to protect this right by ensuring that maximum pollutant levels indicated by the World Health Organization are not breached across our cities and towns
Breathing is the most basic human function required to sustain life, which is why we must continue to fight for the right to breathe clean air."
study participants were generally wealthier and healthier than the wider general public, which could have resulted in underestimations of the strength of the links between declining lung function and air pollution exposure.