How the constituents of fine particulate matter and ozone affect the lung function of children in Tianjin, China

As the pollution of fine particulate matter (≤ 2.5 μg/m3 in aerodynamic diameter; PM2.5) and ozone (O3) is becoming more and more serious in developing countries, we, hereby, investigated the effects of PM2.5, constituents of PM2.5 and O3 on the lung function of children in Tianjin, China. The lung functions of 198 pupils from nine primary schools in Tianjin were examined (repeated five times) during the months of October to December in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. And the mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the effects of air pollutants. A 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and O3-8h might lead to reductions of forced vital capacity (FVC) in 1.03% (− 1.87 to − 0.19%) and 21.09% (− 25.54 to − 16.58%), respectively, while a 10 ng/m3 increment in ANY might account for the 166.44% (− 221.32 to − 112.31%) decreases in FVC. PM2.5 and O3-8h might be more harmful to the lung functions of female students and participants with PS exposure at home. And the main sources of pollution resulting in the decrease in pulmonary function might be traffic pollution and coal combustion.