DIRTY AIR KIDS DYING SOONER

Lifelong study shows pollution danger

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

RESEARCHERS have found a link between pollution and early death in Scots cities.

Young children exposed to significantly low air quality are more likely to die sooner than those raised in areas with less pollution.

Analysis by experts at Edinburgh University examined nearly 3000 people born in Scotland in 1936 and is the first study to shed light on the lifelong effects of breathing dirty air in early life.

Findings show people exposed to high levels of air pollution at the age of three were more likely to die early than those subjected to low levels.

High exposure also increased the chances of dying from cancer, particularly of lung cancer in women.