Impact of early life exposure to ambient PM2.5 on child health in India

Background:Ambient PM2.5 exposure is very high in India, yet local evidence of air pollution health impacts is limited.Objective:Here using a nationally representative survey, we examine the impact of early-life exposure to ambient PM2.5 on children growth (height-for-age and weight-for-age) in India.Results:We use non-local fire-events as a measure for local pollution levels as they are not related to household behavioral choices or local economic activity, but affect local pollution levels as smoke and pollutants from these neighboring fire events can travel long distances. We found that one standard deviation increase in exposure to ambient PM2.5 decreases height-for-age (measure for stunting) by 6.7% and weight-for-age (measure for wasting) by 7.8% for children under 5 years of age. The impact is larger for poorer households and households where mothers have less (till primary level) and no education. The negative impact is detectable for all age groups (<1 year, 1-2 years, >3 years). Using a point estimate of probability of being stunted due to air pollution, we found that one standard deviation increase in ambient PM2.5 exposure in early-life decreases GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 0.18% in India. Discussion:India has launched programs to improve sanitation and tackle malnutrition (the two biggest factors that negatively impact child growth) at national scale. Our study suggests that unless air pollution is also addressed at a national scale, the benefits of such welfare programs in improving child health may not be effective.