Better air quality increases children's IQ levels resulting in them earning better incomes as adults, a new study finds.

Air pollution and degrading air quality have been prime focuses of many environmentalists for quite some time now. It is no secret that better air quality promotes better health. However, researchers of a new study found that better air quality also boosts IQ levels in children.

The study was conducted by researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. This is one of the first studies that looked into how reduced IQ levels can result in economic losses and lead to lower income as adults in children.

Researchers based their calculations on a theorized reduction of 0.25 nanograms per cubic meter air (ng/m3) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations. PAH is a chemical that is formed during the burning of fossils and remains suspended in the atmosphere for long durations. Currently, PAH concentration in New York City's air is approximately 1 ng/ m3.

Researchers also examined 63,462 New York City children born in 2002 to women. They noted that a 25 percent reduction in PAH concentration resulted in increase in IQ levels that increased lifetime earnings of $215 million.

The study was published in the Journal of Public Health Policy and funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the John and Wendy Neu Family Foundation, the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund and the New York Community Trust.