California's ambient air pollutant standards and toxic air contaminant control measures have not been reviewed or revised in many years. SB 25 will ensure that new health science on infants and children is included when the standards are reviewed and revised, if necessary. As children grow, their lungs also grow in both size and complexity. During this crucial period, air pollution can cause irritation, inflammation or infection that may result in long-term, or even permanent, decreases in lung function that could lead to chronic lung disease later in life. Children spend significantly more time outdoors, especially in the summer when the ozone air pollution levels are typically highest.
Children have a higher ventilation rate than adults relative to their body weight and lung surface.
This results in a greater dose of pollution delivered to their lungs. A California study found that children spend three times as much time engaged in sports and vigorous activities as adults do. This results in breathing more air, and, therefore, more pollution, being taken deep into their lungs. Air pollution is known to exacerbate asthma and be a trigger for asthma attacks in children. A Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine study reported that on high-pollution summer days, children with asthma were 40 percent more likely to suffer asthma attacks compared with days with average pollution levels.