A series of large epidemiological studies published in leading medical journals are strengthening the link between air pollution and skeletal disease, suggesting that dirty air is not only a respiratory and cardiovascular hazard but also a contributor to osteoporosis and related fractures. The most extensive analysis, a prospective study of 446,395 adults followed for a median of eight years and reported in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, documented 12,288 new fractures and found that sustained exposure to multiple ambient pollutants significantly increased fracture incidence. Complementary findings appear in Lancet Planetary Health, where researchers observed that rising concentrations of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide were associated with progressively lower bone-mineral density (BMD). Earlier cohort work in the Oslo Health Study produced similar results in elderly men, while a 2023 investigation covering two cities in Shandong Province, China, linked traffic-related pollution spikes to higher hospitalisations for osteoporotic fractures, particularly among women and people aged 65 and older. Taken together, the evidence indicates that common pollutants—including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, as well as heavy metals such as lead and cadmium—can accelerate bone loss. The findings carry broad public-health implications: in India alone an estimated 61 million people already live with osteoporosis, and global fracture burdens are expected to rise as populations age. Researchers say the data underscore the need to treat air quality as a modifiable risk factor for bone health alongside established measures such as exercise, smoking cessation and adequate calcium and vitamin D intake.