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Both fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and ozone (O 3) may have adverse effects on human health. However, previous studies on the effects of air pollutants mainly have focused on susceptible population, and evidence on healthy young adults is limited. We aimed to examine the associations of the two main air pollutants (PM 2.5 and O 3) with lung function, inflammation and oxidative stress in healthy young adults. We recruited 30 healthy young adults for a longitudinal panel study in Beijing and implemented health examination seven times, including lung function (FEV 1 and PEF) and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress (i.e. C-reactive protein, CRP; interleukin-6, IL-6; malondialdehyde, MDA) from December 2019 to May 2021. Hourly ambient air pollutants data were obtained from the closest air quality monitoring station. Linear mixed-effect model was applied to explore the associations between air pollutants and lung function, inflammation and oxidative stress. We observed higher PM 2.5 exposure was associated with decrement in lung function and increment in CRP and MDA. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM 2.5 (lag 2 day) is associated with a 17.06 ml (95% CI: −31.53, −2.58) decrease in FEV 1 , 46.34 ml/s (95% CI: −76.41, −16.27) decrease in PEF and increments of 2.86% (95% CI: 1.47%, 4.27%) in CRP, 1.63% (95% CI: 0.14%, 3.14%) in MDA respectively. However, there is no significant association between ozone exposure and health indicators. The study suggested that short-term exposure to PM 2.5 may decrease lung function and induce inflammation and oxidative stress in healthy adults, but there is no association between O 3 and each outcome. • PM 2.5 exposure decreased lung function in young healthy adults. • PM 2.5 exposure was associated with evaluated inflammation and oxidative stress. • Ambient ozone may have less harmful effects on healthy adults working indoors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]