How Does Air Pollution Affect Health?

Written By Teacher: Teresa Pettitt-Kenney

Hi there! My name is Teresa and I just finished my Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and am excited to pursue environmental education in the future! I am extremely passionate about climate change, equitable climate action, and how education can work to address these issues. 

Air pollution is a vital, yet challenging topic to teach about. It is important for students to be aware of the dangers without focusing too much on scary impacts. Start small with these vocabulary cards on air quality. After you’ve introduced the topic, dive into what students need to know about for their health, while also making sure to explore positive solutions.

Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.

Air pollution is one of the largest threats to human health worldwide, leading to millions of early deaths every year. This air pollution is not the same as the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change—but it does come from many of the same sources, such as burning fossil fuels for energy, heat, and to power vehicles. By choosing less polluting technologies and behaviors, we have opportunities to address both problems at once.

The toll of air pollution

Many common pollutants threaten our health when we breathe them in, including ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The most dangerous type of air pollution is “particulate matter,” or small solid particles floating in the air. These particles damage our lungs and contribute to heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution contributes to 1 in every 8 deaths worldwide: around 7 million early deaths a year. This pollution also hurts the global economy, through health costs on affected individuals, their families, and public health systems, and by decreasing overall productivity.

Air pollution also hurts our ability to think and learn. Studies of children and schools have found that air pollution contributes to learning disabilities, behavioral incidents, and lower test scores.