Are We Forgetting the Air Our Children Breathe?

As parents, we go to great lengths to give our children the best chances in life. We choose the best schools, invest in tutoring, read bedtime stories, and even limit screen time. But there’s one factor that silently affects our children's learning and development—one that most of us overlook: The air they breathe. Every single day.

What if the biggest threat to your child’s brain… was invisible?

A growing body of research has confirmed what scientists have suspected for years: air pollution doesn’t just affect our lungs—it affects how our brains grow and work, especially in children.

Invisible pollution, visible consequences

PM2.5 are tiny particles— approximately 20 to 30 times 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair—that can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. They're often emitted by cars, power plants, factories, and even household activities like cooking or using cleaning products.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a gas mostly released from burning fossil fuels, like in car engines or gas stoves. Long-term exposure to NO₂ is known to irritate airways and worsen asthma. But what’s new—and deeply concerning—is its impact on developing brains.

According to a large-scale study published in Environmental Epidemiology in 2021, long-term exposure to air pollution may significantly hinder children’s academic performance. Analyzing data from more than 250 million standardized tests across 10,921 school districts in the U.S., the researchers found that higher concentrations of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were consistently associated with lower scores in both Math and English.

Why children are especially vulnerable

Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of outdoor air pollution due to their developing bodies and immature immune and respiratory systems. They also breathe more rapidly than adults and are often more active outdoors, increasing their exposure to pollutants.

In 2021, air pollution was linked to over 700,000 deaths among children under the age of five worldwide, making it the second most significant cause of death in this age group after malnutrition, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

While PM2.5 has already been recognized as a contributor to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases in adults, research also points to its harmful effects on children. High exposure to polluted air in children has been associated with:

• Impaired brain development and serious cardiovascular and respiratory issues
• Higher risk of preterm birth, which is linked to abnormal brain development and remains a major cause of death among young children.
• Noticeable cognitive delays, especially in children living in urban areas
• Long-term alterations to white matter in the brain when exposure occurs during pregnancy or early childhood

Is your home really a safe haven?

Many parents assume that keeping kids indoors is enough to keep them safe. But unfortunately, that's not always true. In many urban and even suburban homes:

• Outdoor air pollution seeps inside through doors, windows, and ventilation systems.
• Common activities like cooking, cleaning, or burning candles also release indoor pollutants.
• Poor ventilation can trap pollutants, making indoor air even worse than outdoors.

In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air.

Invest in their mind—by investing in clean air

We can help reduce the sources of pollution, better ventilate our indoor environments, and provide air filtration for schools and other indoor environments as needed. Here are a few examples of the positive steps we can each take to clean the air and keep ourselves safe from air pollution:

✅ Monitor your Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). AirVisual Pro by IQAir lets you monitor pollutants in your indoor and outdoor air so that you know precisely when air quality is bad. Encourage your school to set up air quality monitors, too. This way, teachers can take appropriate action to increase time indoors when air quality is bad.

✅ Invest in a certified air purifier – IQAir offers advanced solutions that effectively remove ultrafine particles, allergens, and harmful gases. A high-performance personal purifier like the Atem Desk is ideal for placing right where your child studies.

✅ Limit indoor pollutants – Choose low-VOC cleaning products, avoid burning candles, and don’t smoke indoors.

✅ Stay informed – Follow air quality alerts from IQAir Airvisual Application and avoid outdoor exercise for kids during high-pollution days.

Clean air isn’t a luxury—it’s part of learning

At IQAir, we believe every breath matters, especially for children. Our high-performance air purifiers are used in schools, hospitals, and homes around the world—not just to clean the air, but to protect futures. Because every child deserves to grow up in an environment that supports—not limits—their potential.
Invest in clean air. Invest in your child’s brain.

Source: U.S. Right to Know, Environmental Research, Environmental Epidemiology