Asthma

General

• 10% of adults in the UK have asthma, and every 10 seconds someone suffers a potentially fatal asthma attack (Church & Watson, 2024)
• For every 10 μg/m³ increment in PM2.5, the risk of childhood and adult asthma increases by 21.4%(Day, 2024)
• We estimate that globally in 2019, almost a third of asthma cases are attributable to long-term PM2.5 exposure(Day, 2024)
• About ⅔ of people with asthma say that air pollution made their asthma worse (coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, breathlessness) - risk of asthma attack (Asthma+Lung UK, 2023)
• Ozone is associated with worsening respiratory diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ozone triggers asthma because it is very irritating to the lungs and airways. (AAFA, 2024)
• Breathing in NO2 can cause someone to develop asthma, and worsen lung disease, especially asthma (AAFA, 2024)
• SO2 can harm lungs and health (AAFA, 2024)
• Most at risk - people who already have lung disease (asthma) or heart disease, children, seniors, those who work outside, athletes, lower income communities, pregnant women, people who live near polluted areas. (AAFA, 2024)
• In a study of ten European cities, 14% of the cases of incident asthma in children and 15% of all exacerbations of childhood asthma were attributed to exposure to pollutants related to road traffic. (Guarnieri & Balmes, 2015)
• Air pollutants might cause oxidative injury to the airways that leads to inflammation and remodelling, which in a genetically predisposed individual could result in clinical asthma
• Short term exposure to PM 2.5–10 μm has been associated with asthma symptoms, especially in children with allergic sensitisation (Guarnieri & Balmes, 2015)
• Long term exposure - poorly controlled asthma and decrements in lung function in children and adults (Guarnieri & Balmes, 2015)
• Asthma Study in Scotland: Personal exposure to air pollution can be significantly modified via behavior changes (McCarron et al., 2024)
  
  • Theory of Planned Behavior: predicts and explains intention and behavior based on three constructs: subjective norms, attitudes and perceived control
  • “Home as a safe space” concept where people adapt behavior (shut windows) to combat pollution from the outdoor environment (AKA home halo effect)
  • Natural areas served as comforting spaces, and study participants discussed desire to move away from the pollution
  • Noted inaccessibility of air pollution research due to jargon/unsureness of where to get reliable info
  • Need to encourage strategies that enhance perceived personal control/agency and engagement with accurate air quality information
• Asthma and Lung UK found air pollution had triggered potentially life-threatening asthma attacks or serious flare-ups of illness in one in five people with lung conditions (Gregory, 2025)
• Number of patients in the UK being treated by GPs for asthma has increased by 45% in a year (Gregory, 2025)
  
  • 99% of the UK population found to be breathing “toxic air”
  • Rate of asthma attacks in 2025 has consistently been above the 5-year national average
  • About 1 in 10 children in the UK have asthma
  • Children’s GP visits for asthma have increased, especially because they breathe in more air than adults
• Air pollution can cause or exacerbate conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer (Stebbing, 2025 originally published in The Conversation)
• Most widespread global chronic respiratory condition (McCarron et al., 2024)
• PM2.5, can penetrate deep into our lungs and even enter our bloodstream. This exposure has been linked to a wide range of serious health problems, including respiratory diseases (Stebbing, 2025 originally published in The Conversation)
• Previous studies have indicated that fine particles can be virus carriers and facilitate their inhalation into the body (Wang et al., 2025)
• Researchers understand how air pollution affects the immune system (Pusan National University, 2025)
• Nickel, vanadium and sulfate particles are most linked to asthma hospitalisations (Vu et al, 2024)
• Harvard researchers analyzed 469,005 asthma hospitalizations from 11 U.S. states from 2002-2016. They found for every decile increase in PM2.5, there is a 10.6% rise in hospitalizations among children and an 8% rise among adults (18–64) (Day, 2025)
• Air pollution worsens asthma (Pfeffer, White and Whitehouse, 2026)
• Links between climate change, asthma and COPD (Clear Sky Science, 2026)
• Asthma exacerbation risk after short-term airpollution exposure varies by age, sex, severity and eosinophil count (Hajmohammedi et al, 2026)
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