Outdoor air pollution and health: Health effects

Health effects of outdoor air pollution

Health effects from air pollution can depend on the source. Overall, exposure to outdoor air pollution can increase your risk of:

• stroke
• allergies
• cancer, including:
  • childhood leukemia
  • adult lung cancer
• heart conditions, such as:
  • arrhythmia
  • heart attack
• lung conditions, such as:
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • asthma
    • children are particularly at risk of developing asthma symptoms
• premature death

You may also have increased:

• medical visits
• hospital admissions

If you are exposed to air pollution, you may experience:

• tiredness
• headache or dizziness
• coughing and sneezing
• wheezing or difficulty breathing
• more mucous in the nose or throat
• dry or irritated eyes, nose, throat and skin

You may notice these symptoms after a few minutes or hours in an area with poor air quality, and then feel better after leaving or going indoors. This may be more noticeable if you have not spent much time in areas of poor air quality.

People with existing heart or lung conditions may:

• have more frequent and severe symptoms
• need more medication to reduce these symptoms