The Impact of Ambient Ozone Exposure on Respiratory Health in the U.S. Populations: A Systematic Review.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review synthesized U.S. epidemiologic and experimental studies published from 1980 to 2026 on acute and chronic ambient ozone exposure and respiratory health. It examined pulmonary function, asthma symptoms and emergency care, and other respiratory morbidity and mortality. Across diverse study designs, the review found adverse respiratory effects, with children, older adults, and people with pre-existing respiratory conditions disproportionately affected. Lung-function decrements were reported consistently, including at ozone concentrations below current regulatory standards; the abstract provides no pooled effect estimate.

Key findings

• Studies consistently reported decrements in lung function, including at ozone concentrations below current regulatory standards.
• Children, older adults, and people with pre-existing respiratory conditions were disproportionately affected.
• The review also considered ozone-associated school absenteeism as an indicator of pediatric respiratory health.

Why it matters

The synthesis links ambient ozone with several respiratory outcomes across exposure durations and study designs, while highlighting groups that may be more vulnerable. Its findings can inform clinical and public health understanding of environmental contributors to respiratory health, although the review does not provide a single pooled estimate of risk.

What to keep in mind

The abstract reports findings across diverse study designs but provides no pooled effect estimate or quantitative results for individual outcomes.