Highway Air Pollution a Threat to Children's Lungs(2/2)

One mother of two children who already have asthma says she is concerned about the pollution. "It just seems like more and more kids are getting asthma nowadays than they did. When I was a kid, nobody hardly had asthma, so I do think it's a problem."

Because lung development stops when children stop growing, the researchers were also concerned about their health as adults. Respiratory problems in adulthood can lead to other illnesses, such as heart disease and emphysema. Professor Gauderman says health and planning experts should take measures now to solve this looming problem.

"I think everybody should be alarmed about this, and I think the real message is probably to those that plan land use in terms of school and housing developments – any place where a child is gonna be spending a lot of time near a busy road. We think that the health effects should be taken into account."

Researchers also believe that state and local air-quality regulations will have to be adjusted to take into consideration how traffic patterns affect pollution.