Air pollution could shorten a child's life by up to seven months says the first study conducted since new Government guidelines.

An eight-year-old child born in 2011 may die between two to seven months early if exposed over their lifetime to projected future pollution concentrations, King's College London researchers studying the city of Birmingham have found. It is the first time new Government guidance on "mortality burdens" of air pollution, which was published last August has been applied in practice in a large city area.

The study looked at the combined impact of two pollutants - particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide - which could cause up to 36,000 deaths across the UK every year, and contribute to a wide range of health conditions including asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

It looked at the effect of air pollution on deaths and loss of life-expectancy but did not include non-fatal health conditions such as asthma.

The impact was considered to be worse than some other major cities in the UK - with the report finding a higher loss of life expectancy in Birmingham than Manchester, which was also recently studied by King’s College London.

The study also calculated the annual health cost of air pollution in Birmingham as between £190 million to £470 million per year.