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Air pollution is a major public health issue. But recent economic research has also highlighted its effects on economic activity, in addition to its well-documented health impacts. It reduces workers’ physical and cognitive abilities, thereby lowering productivity. It also risks undermining future productivity by impairing academic performance and innovation. This paper gives an overview of this major health and environmental challenge and examines its economic consequences.

2026-02-05T00:00:00+01:00<p>Air pollution is a major public health issue. Fine particulate matter is associated with more than 40,000 deaths each year in France. It also interacts with other pollutants to trigger or worsen many diseases affecting organs including the lungs, heart and brain. It is estimated to account for 20% of new asthma cases in children.</p> <p>These health impacts carry a high socio-economic cost, related not just to direct healthcare expenditure (e.g. hospitalisation and medicine costs) but also to impaired quality of life and lost production due to sickness absence.</p> <p>In addition to these effects on mortality and morbidity, recent research papers have shown that air pollution also affects cognitive and physical abilities, resulting in lower productivity. These impacts can be seen across a broad array of occupations not just involving physically demanding work, in agriculture and industry for example, but also involving a cognitive aspect, such as financial services, call centres, and even umpiring in sport.</p> <p>In addition to these direct short-term impacts, air pollution may also be undermining future productivity by reducing academic achievement and hampering innovation.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="marge" src="/Articles/7bd46e86-a61d-4be4-84b4-3517eabb4ca7/images/e600261e-19f9-4f14-8c66-0c9613cbab74" alt="Visuel TE-380en" /></p>