Air pollution increases risk of childhood hypertension

2026-01-17 08:58:00, Shëndeti CNA

Children may end up with high blood pressure due to exposure to air pollution, a new study says.

Exposure to smog before and after birth increases a child's chances of having higher blood pressure between the ages of 5 and 12, researchers report in the March 2026 issue of the journal Environmental Research.

The study specifically linked childhood blood pressure to fine particle pollution.

“These findings add to the growing evidence that early exposure to fine particle air pollution can affect children’s cardiometabolic health, even at relatively low levels,” said lead researcher Yu Ni. She is an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at San Diego State University.

High blood pressure in children is becoming increasingly common, rising by nearly 80% over the past two decades, the researchers said in their preliminary notes. It can lead to long-term health problems, such as heart disease and impaired kidney function.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 4,800 children who participated in a National Institutes of Health-funded study on how environmental influences can affect a child's health.

The researchers compared the health of children between the ages of 5 and 12 with outdoor air pollution levels during each trimester of pregnancy, throughout pregnancy, and during the first two years of the child's life.

Children exposed to higher levels of particulate pollution before and after birth had higher blood pressure on average, the researchers found. Exposure during the first trimester appeared to have the greatest impact, the results showed.

It was linked to higher systolic blood pressure - the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats - and a greater likelihood of high blood pressure in childhood.

However, the researchers found that mothers' exposure to another type of air pollutant - nitrogen dioxide - was associated with slightly lower blood pressure in their children. This effect was strongest during mid- and late pregnancy.

"The unexpected findings regarding nitrogen dioxide suggest that more research is needed to understand how this type of air pollution may affect children's developing bodies, as well as whether other environmental factors may play a role, such as transportation noise," Ni said./ CNA