Every time the air quality index is not good, and the haze weather is severe, the outpatient pediatric department of the hospital is full of people, infants and children cough persistently, and the window of the hospital’s nebulization treatment is always crowded with people.
In addition to the key factors of children’s own poor resistance, the hazards of air pollution cannot be ignored.
In the research report on “The Hazards of Air” released by UNICEF, it is clearly stated that air pollution will be one of the deadly threats to the healthy life of children so far. “Air Pollution and Children’s Health – A Requirement for Clean Air” survey report published by WHO.
The report pointed out that indoor air quality has caused great harm to the healthy life of children. Worldwide, 93% of children are now living in an environment where the air pollution level is higher than the WHO standard.
1. Why are children so vulnerable to the hazards of air pollution?
Lake, executive director of UNICEF, said: “Air pollution not only hinders the growth and development of the lungs of infants and young children, but also causes permanent damage to the brain, which is equivalent to killing the future of many people.” For teenagers People such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weak constitutions are very vulnerable to the damage of indoor air quality. The reasons why children are more vulnerable to the harm of air pollution are:
- 1. Children’s breathing rate is 50% higher than that of adults, so they will inhale a large amount of air pollution in the same period of time.
- 2. Children are still in the process of development, and the body’s defense and immune system is immature.
- 3. Indoor air quality is more complicated than outdoor pollution, and children spend a lot of time living indoors.
- 4. Most of the air pollution sources in the room are heavier than the air, and will sink to a height of 1.2 meters from the road surface. Children are short in stature and become the objects of direct damage.
2. How harmful is air pollution to children?
- It is likely to cause immune system diseases
Medical clinical research has confirmed that environmental pollution has become the primary root cause of children’s blood diseases. Especially in the home decoration pollution formaldehyde, which is widely known nowadays, there have been too many typical cases to warn people that indoor air quality is a threat to human health, especially children.
- Increase the incidence of respiratory diseases in children and adolescents
Relevant scientific studies have concluded that the incidence of respiratory tract is 1.6 to 5.3 times higher in children in polluted areas than in contrast areas. As mentioned earlier in the article, the normal breathing volume of children is 50% higher than that of adults. Therefore, when a large amount of air pollution enters the respiratory tract of children, it is more likely to cause acute or chronic respiratory diseases in children.
3. Harm the normal growth and development of children’s net height
Although there is no direct research to show that, compared with adults, children are in a more sensitive and growing state, and the human skeleton is also the same. Long-term normal breathing of polluted air will not only easily cause various diseases, but also affect the development of various body functions of children, thereby affecting the normal growth and development of height.
4. Harm the brain development of children
Pollution can affect the central nervous system of children, causing dizziness, headache, fatigue, lack of energy, and decreased coordination of nervous system operations.
Research by Harvard University has found that as long as children’s brains are affected by air pollution during development, the growth of brain nerves will be slowed down, and intelligence will be affected. Moreover, the harm of air pollution to the baby’s IQ is caused during the mother’s pregnancy.
Research conducted by the Children’s Health Center of Columbia University found that during pregnancy, if the environment where the air pollution is severe, the child’s intelligence will be relatively lower by 4 to 5 points when he starts school at the age of 5.
Post time: Jul-26-2023