State of the Air: 2005 Focusing on Children's Health

• State of the Air: 2005 Press Release
• State of the Air: 2005 Fact Sheet
• What You Can Do To Protect Yourself and The Air You Breathe

Children may look like miniature adults, but they’re not. The State of the Air: 2005 report reveals that air pollution is especially dangerous to children because:

• Kids’ lungs are still growing.  Just like the rest of their bodies, most of children’s lungs will grow long after they are born.  The body’s defenses that help adults fight off infections are still developing in young bodies, which mean kids are less able to filter out air contaminants and pollution.
• Children don’t behave like adults.  Kids are outside for longer periods of time than adults and are usually more active when outdoors, which means they inhale more polluted outdoor air than adults typically do.

The American Lung Association State of the Air: 2005 report warns that air pollution can:

• Worsen asthma.  Exposure to particle as well as ozone pollution worsens asthma in children and adults.
• Increase cough and bronchitis.  Particle pollution is a major factor in increasing cough and bronchitis.
• Increase respiratory infections.  Air pollution leads to increased risk of upper and lower respiratory infections.
• Stop children’s lungs from developing fully.  Children who grow up in heavily polluted areas face an increased risk of having underdeveloped lungs that may never recover to their full capacity, which affects how well children will breathe throughout their lives. 
• Increase school absences.  Studies show that high levels of ozone are linked to increased school absences for children due to respiratory illnesses. 

To protect your child’s health, the American Lung Association recommends:

• Be aware of the quality of the air your family breathes year-round. Check your daily air-quality levels and air-pollution forecasts. These are often given with local weather reports and printed in newspapers and are available online at www.epa.gov/airnow/.
• Keep an eye on your child's health.  If your child has difficulty breathing, coughs regularly, or experiences shortness of breath on high air pollution days, call your pediatrician.
• Adjust the location and amount of your child’s outdoor activity.  Limit the amount of time your child spends outdoors in vigorous play if the air quality is unhealthy, and keep all your children’s outdoor activities as far as possible from busy roadways and other sources of pollution. 
• Encourage your child’s school to reduce school bus emissions.  While school buses are a safe way for children to get to school, most buses use heavily polluting diesel engines.  According to research, children riding inside a school bus may be exposed to four times the level of diesel exhaust than if they were riding in a car.  Many school systems are using the EPA’s Clean School Bus Campaign to clean up these dirty emissions.