Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health

Indoor air pollution significantly affects infants and young children, who spend more than 90% of their time indoors and breathe more rapidly than adults, according to a Harvard University working paper. The paper spotlights volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cleaning products as a major risk, leading to respiratory issues.

As one example of the known harms of VOCs, the paper cited studies that associate frequent use of cleaning products during infancy and pregnancy—particularly scented spray products—with a higher risk of wheezing in early childhood and the development of asthma and lower respiratory tract infections in childhood. Additionally, evidence suggests that exposure to VOCs in cleaning products preconception and during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of asthma in children, and occupational exposure to these compounds has been associated with higher rates of lung cancer and cardiovascular mortality.

Indoor air pollutants also disproportionately affect families with fewer resources and families of color because discriminatory zoning, lending, and housing policies have left many low-income and minoritized communities living in overcrowded housing constructed with poor-quality materials and often situated near congested roads and industrial pollution.

The paper outlined the following immediate actions to protect children:

• Monitor indoor air quality in early care centers and schools.
• Switch to safer building, cleaning, and other household products.
• Use a hooded kitchen exhaust fan that vents to the outside.
• Utilize portable, room-based air purifiers with HEPA filters in childcare centers, classrooms, and homes as a supplement to improve indoor air quality.