Effects of improved air quality on lung development

Improvements in air quality have positive effects on lung development. A study in more than 2000 children in 3 different groups who were evaluated at 3 successive time periods (the children were aged 11 years when the study began and 15 years when it ended) examined the relationship between declining pollution levels in southern California over time and lung-function development. Over the 13 years of the study, improvements in growth of both forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) and forced vital capacity were associated with declining levels of nitrogen dioxide and of particulate matter, and applied both to children with and without asthma (Gauderman WJ, et al. N Engl J Med. 2015;372[10]:905-913).   

Ms Freedman is a freelance medical editor and writer in New Jersey. She has nothing to disclose in regard to affiliations with or financial interests in any organizations that may have an interest in any part of this article.