Health Effects of Air Pollution Exposure

Air pollution represents a pervasive environmental threat impacting human health from the cellular to the population level. Exposure to complex mixtures of airborne contaminants—chiefly fine particulate matter, gaseous oxides and volatile organics—drives oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. These processes underpin a spectrum of acute and chronic outcomes, including exacerbation of respiratory diseases, heightened cardiovascular risk, metabolic dysregulation and increased cancer incidence. Vulnerable populations, such as children, older adults and those with pre-existing conditions, bear a disproportionate burden, with global estimates attributing millions of premature deaths and substantial disability to polluted air annually. Recent advances have elucidated mechanistic pathways linking particulate matter to macrophage activation, cytokine release and cellular turnover in target tissues, reinforcing the imperative for policies aimed at emission reduction and exposure mitigation. Trends in urbanisation, industrialisation and climate change further complicate exposure profiles, highlighting the need for integrated surveillance, innovative exposure assessment and equitable interventions to reduce health disparities worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have elucidated the tumour-promoting role of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in lung carcinogenesis. One investigation demonstrated that ambient PM2.5 triggers macrophage infiltration and interleukin-1β release in pulmonary tissue, creating a progenitor-like state in epithelial cells harbouring oncogenic mutations (notably in the epidermal growth factor receptor), thereby accelerating lung adenocarcinoma development even in never-smokers.

Health Effects of Air Pollution Exposure publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in health effects of air pollution exposure across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Particulate matter (PM2.5): Airborne solid or liquid particles ≤2.5 micrometres in diameter, capable of penetrating deep into the lungs.

Disability-adjusted life-year (DALY): A composite measure combining years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lived with disability.

Interleukin-1β: A pro-inflammatory cytokine released by activated immune cells, central to inflammation and tissue remodelling.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR): A cell-surface protein that, when mutated or overexpressed, can drive uncontrolled cell proliferation in cancers.

Progenitor-like cell state: A cellular phenotype characterised by attributes of early precursor cells, including enhanced proliferative capacity and plasticity.

References

1. Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet (2024).
2. Lung adenocarcinoma promotion by air pollutants. Nature (2023).
3. Short term exposure to air pollution and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis. The BMJ (2015).
4. Ambient PM2.5, O3, and NO2 Exposures and Associations with Mortality over 16 Years of Follow-Up in the Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC). Environmental Health Perspectives (2015).