Impact of air pollution exposure in early life on lung function development in the COPSAC cohorts
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
- 3Department of Pediatrics, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark
- 4Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- 5University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Abstract
Background: Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with reduced lung function in children and may also impair lung function development in early life.
Objectives: We examined associations of long-term exposure to air pollution with lung function at age 6 and lung function development from early childhood until young adulthood.
Methods: We modelled concentrations of the particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from multiple sources at the home addresses of the participants (N=846) of the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood cohorts from 2000 and 2010 in Denmark. Lung function was measured by spirometry and plethysmography repeatedly from 3 to 18 years of age. Associations were estimated with adjusted linear mixed-effects regression models.
Results: A higher long-term exposure to air pollution in early life was associated with reduced lung function at age 6. For instance, an IQR of 2.2 μg/m3 increment in postnatal exposure to PM2.5 was associated with a 2.70% (95% CI 4.27% to 1.10%) lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and 7.30% (95% CI 1.87% to 13.07%) higher specific airway resistance. This mirrored reduced lung function and increased airway resistance development rates throughout childhood. Associations for airway restrictions were stronger for males than females.
Conclusions: Early life exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with the development of reduced lung function and increased airway resistance throughout childhood.
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BibTeX
@article{pedersen2026impact,
title = {{Impact of air pollution exposure in early life on lung function development in the COPSAC cohorts}},
author = {Marie Pedersen and Jiawei Zhang and Youn-Hee Lim and Tamo Sultan and Bo Chawes and Ann-Marie Malby Schoos and Zorana Andersen and Jørgen Brandt and Lise M Frohn and Matthias Ketzel and Leslie Stayner and Steffen Loft and Klaus Bønnelykke},
journal = {BMJ Open Respiratory Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1136/bmjresp-2025-003297},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjresp-2025-003297},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of air pollution exposure in early life on lung function development in the COPSAC cohorts
AU - Marie Pedersen
AU - Jiawei Zhang
AU - Youn-Hee Lim
AU - Tamo Sultan
AU - Bo Chawes
AU - Ann-Marie Malby Schoos
AU - Zorana Andersen
AU - Jørgen Brandt
AU - Lise M Frohn
AU - Matthias Ketzel
AU - Leslie Stayner
AU - Steffen Loft
AU - Klaus Bønnelykke
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - BMJ Open Respiratory Research
DO - 10.1136/bmjresp-2025-003297
UR - https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjresp-2025-003297
AB - Background: Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with reduced lung function in children and may also impair lung function development in early life. Objectives: We examined associations of long-term exposure to air pollution with lung function at age 6 and lung function development from early childhood until young adulthood. Methods: We modelled concentrations of the particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from multiple sources at the home addresses of the participants (N=846) of the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood cohorts from 2000 and 2010 in Denmark. Lung function was measured by spirometry and plethysmography repeatedly from 3 to 18 years of age. Associations were estimated with adjusted linear mixed-effects regression models. Results: A higher long-term exposure to air pollution in early life was associated with reduced lung function at age 6. For instance, an IQR of 2.2 μg/m3 increment in postnatal exposure to PM2.5 was associated with a 2.70% (95% CI 4.27% to 1.10%) lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and 7.30% (95% CI 1.87% to 13.07%) higher specific airway resistance. This mirrored reduced lung function and increased airway resistance development rates throughout childhood. Associations for airway restrictions were stronger for males than females. Conclusions: Early life exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with the development of reduced lung function and increased airway resistance throughout childhood.
SN - 2052-4439
ER -