A concerned parent-to-be PMed to ask if the risk to the fetus or kids is really that high.
Seriously, this kind of things I can't also answer with any SOLID degree of certainty, but seriously the cheapest air purifier Sharp A28 is just $99.
Just get two units, perhaps?
Just a quick google, can't seem to find the stuff that I googled last year.
But note, these studies are done at higher concentrations, particulate matter are urban of nature and differ from haze (biomass), and also longer term.
So don't have to be overly concerned as long as you are mindful and take precautions beginning from now into the future for childhood.
Air Pollution Impacts on Infants and Children,* UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
The time between conception and birth is perhaps one of the most vulnerable life stages, during which the environment may have tremendous immediate and lasting effects on health. The fetus undergoes rapid growth and organ development and the maternal environment helps direct these processes, for better or for worse (Figure 1). Evidence is accumulating that environmental exposures can cause infants to be born premature (before 37 weeks of gestation) or low weight (less than 2500 grams, or 5.5 pounds), or to be born with certain birth defects. These babies are far more likely to die in infancy, and those who survive have high risks of brain, respiratory, and digestive problems in early life. The impact of environmental exposures on fetal development may be far-reaching, as data suggest growth and developmental delays in utero influence the risk for heart disease and diabetes in adulthood.
Early childhood is also a critical period for the continued development and maturation of several biological systems such as the brain, lung, and immune system and air toxics can impair lung function and neurodevelopment, or exacerbate existing conditions, such as asthma (Figure 2). Infants who were born premature or growth-retarded may be particularly vulnerable to additional environmental insults, for example, due to immaturity of the lungs at birth.
Exactly what compounds in the ambient air most affect reproductive and children's health, and how these exposures result in restricted fetal growth, early parturition, and development of respiratory diseases remains largely unknown. The study of air pollution's impact on reproductive outcomes is still a developing area of science with many important questions unanswered, but more evidence is emerging that air pollution exposures in pregnancy and early childhood put children at higher risk of adverse health outcomes. Despite the long history of research linking smoking to poorer birth outcomes and the known similarities in components of cigarette smoke and air pollution, the bulk of all air pollution research targeting reproductive health has been conducted only in the past decade. Recently this research has begun to focus on one specific source of modern-day air pollution -- traffic exhaust.
IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON CHILDREN'S RESPIRATORY HEALTH
There are several biological reasons why young children may be more susceptible to air pollution's effects. Children's lungs, immune system, and brain are immature at birth and continue to rapidly develop until approximately age 6, and the cell layer lining the inside of the respiratory tract is particularly permeable during this age period. Compared to adults, children also have a larger lung surface area in relation to their body weight, and breathe 50% more air per kilogram of body weight. The process of early growth and development is important for the health of the child in general, and therefore may also be a critical time when air pollution exposures can have lasting effects on future health. Additionally, children tend to spend more time outdoors doing strenuous activities, such as playing sports, so they are breathing more outdoor air compared to adults, who spend on average about 90% of their time indoors.
