An international study suggest that exposure to air pollution early in life may contribute to the development of asthma in childhood and adolescence.
Researchers followed more than 14,000 children from birth through ages 14 to 16 and found those born in communities with more polluted air were more likely to develop asthma than other kids, particularly after age 4.
While previous research has linked asthma to air pollution exposure in early childhood, the current study offers new evidence that this connection extends into adolescence, said lead author Dr. Ulrike Gehring, a researcher at Utrecht University in The Netherlands.