An air pollutant consists in any atmospheric substance that may harm humans, animals, vegetation or material. Various air pollutants have been reported, differing in their physicochemical characteristics. They can be grouped into four categories: gaseous pollutants (e.g. Ozone, SO2, NOx, CO, Volatile Organic Compounds), persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals (e.g. cadmium, lead, mercury), and particulate matter (coarse, fine, ultrafine). These pollutants can reach the respiratory system, eliciting pulmonary and/or systemic effects. These effects include inflammation, tissue remodeling and carcinogenesis, all phenomena where matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) play critical roles given their broad effects of matrix remodeling and modulation of inflammation and cell signaling. Moreover, since expression and activity of MMPs can be induced by such stimuli, hypothesis has been raised that MMPs could be involved in health effects of pollutants. As for now, the implication of MMPs in these effects has been studied only for some pollutants, and a restricted amount of MMPs (mainly MMP-1,-2,-9, and-12), while the link between MMP induction/activation and health effects remains scarce. A larger amount of studies is therefore deeply needed to better understand the implication of MMPs in health effects associated to air pollution.