How air pollution physically changes children’s lungs

We rarely think about how a child breathes because it happens so effortlessly. Nearly 20,000 times a day, your child’s lungs do their job without asking for attention. Inside the lungs are several tiny air sacs called alveoli which gently inflate and deflate – like soft, delicate balloons – to ensure that oxygen reaches the blood.

Children’s lungs, which are developing organs, are incredibly sensitive and designed to take in clean air. But if the air they breathe is not clean, the alveoli are forced to work harder. Instead of just absorbing oxygen, they are constantly dealing with unwanted particles – akin to a sponge soaking up dirty water.