Adolescents and children have been deemed more vulnerable to the impacts
of air pollution than adults. Every day, almost 93% of the world's children and
adolescents breathe dirty air, putting their health and development in danger. It
demonstrates that pregnant women exposed to polluted air are more likely to give birth
prematurely and have small, low-birth-weight babies. Air pollution has an impact on
neurodevelopment and cognitive aptitude, as well as the risk of developing asthma and
pediatric cancer. Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may
have a higher chance of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease
later in life. One reason children are especially exposed to the impacts of air pollution
is that they breathe faster than adults and thus absorb more toxins. They also reside
closer to the ground, where some contaminants reach peak concentrations, during a
period when their brains and bodies are still growing.
Numerous studies have revealed that air pollution has a negative impact on adolescents'
health, with a particular emphasis on physical disorders, such as respiratory ailments.
Furthermore, a few studies have found that kids who are exposed to poor air quality
suffer from increased fatigue and mental issues both during and after the exposure. Air pollution is a global health concern that has major public health consequences,
especially for youth. In addition to short-term impacts, early exposure to criterion air
pollutants may be related to low birth weight, increased oxidative stress, and
endothelial dysfunction, all of which may have long-term consequences for chronic
noncommunicable diseases. Given the emerging epidemic of chronic disease in lowand middle-income countries, as well as the vicious cycle of rapid urbanization and
rising levels of air pollution, public health, and regulatory policies to protect air quality
should be integrated into the primary healthcare system's main priorities and health
professionals' educational curricula.
