Report: There’s Been a Worldwide Spike in Kids With Asthma

About 4 million children are diagnosed with asthma every year because they breathe in polluted air, according to new research. And it’s especially bad news for kids in the states, where the US ranks as the third worst for traffic-related air pollution (TRAP).

Pediatric cases of asthma have spiked since the mid ‘50s, and the condition is now the most common non-communicable disease affecting children worldwide. The new study looked at the effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a major cause of traffic-related air pollution. Study authors analyzed data from 2010 through 2015 in 125 cities across 194 countries. Researchers say it’s possible that air pollution caused by traffic may cause the airways in children to become inflamed. This could trigger asthma from developing in those who are at a genetic risk for the disease.

Of the 4 million cases of childhood asthma worldwide, about 64 percent were from kids who lived in urban areas. Wealthy regions, including North America, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific, had high levels of NO2. China had the largest amount of air pollution and pediatric cases of asthma, with 760,000 cases per year. India and the US followed, with 350,000 and 240,000 cases, respectively.

“Despite substantial decreases in NO2 concentrations over the past decade in large areas of the US and western Europe, our findings suggest that existing levels of ambient NO2 pollution are a substantial risk factor for pediatric asthma incidence in both developed and developing countries, especially in urban areas,” the report says.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization listed air pollution as one of the top 10 global health threats for 2019.

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