Air pollution linked to ‘huge’ rise in child asthma GP visits

Exclusive: consultations for asthma and other respiratory infections go up with increased dirty air, finds study

A huge" increase in the number of visits to doctors by children with asthma problems occurs after a week of raised air pollution, according to a study. The number of inhaler prescriptions also increases significantly.

Dirty air is already known to increase hospital treatment for severe asthma attacks and other respiratory problems. But the new research is the first using clinical data to show increased illness among the much bigger number of people who seek treatment from their GP.