The long-term effects air pollution has on our health

Invisible pollutants fill the air around us, and their effects on the human body shouldn't be underestimated.

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But how exactly does air pollution affect our health? Here's how it can impact our lungs, heart, skin, brain and eyes...

Lungs

"Air pollution has both immediate and long-term impacts on health, causing inflammation and irritation of the airways, which can lead to symptoms like coughing and breathing difficulties," says Jonathan Blades, head of policy at Asthma + Lung UK.

"Air pollution can also worsen symptoms for the millions of people living with lung conditions, triggering asthma attacks or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups, sometimes resulting in hospitalisation."

Lungs of younger people are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of dirty air.

"Harmful air pollution particles can penetrate deeply into the lungs of children, and these deeply embedded toxins can stunt lung growth," explains Blades. "They also breathe faster, which means they take in more polluted air.

"Longer-term, being exposed to pollution as a child increases the risk of developing asthma and COPD as an adult, meaning the effects can take many years to fully manifest themselves."