Aims : to present recent scientific highlights about the effects of airborne pollution factors, especially allergens, diesel exhaust particles, microplastics and microtextiles, on the lungs; to compare their effects in children and adults; to discuss the biology of allergen-induced lung disease; to describe biological sex differences in response to exposure to these factors. The dangers of airborne environmental factors to the human lung are of great and diverse interest due to the current strong international focus on climate change and air pollution.