Beyond the womb: respiratory symptoms in children following acute in utero exposure to fire smoke

Air pollution poses global health, equity, and environmental problems with short and long term consequences

The impact of environmental pollutants from diverse sources on health and well‐being is widely recognised.1 However, much remains unknown, including the relative contributions of specific air pollutants, their size effects, the periods of maximum vulnerability, and the longer term effects of acute and prolonged exposure, particularly in children.2,3 The expected increases in the number and intensity of bushfires, as seen in Australia during the summer of 2019–20, require that the effects of such extreme events on public health be explored.