Children are the greatest victims of an invisible enemy that plagues us every day. From ADHD to Alzheimer’s, these are the potential impacts of air pollution on those most vulnerable.
Although air quality is better than it used to be, the number of medical conditions linked to air pollution is increasing. That’s because today we have more know about the potential effects of airborne toxins on our bodies, brains and mental health.
Children are especially at risk. They are up to 37 percent more exposed to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide than adults, since the emissions from passenger cars and freight traffic are more likely to stick at a height of 1 meter (child height) than at 2 meters (adult height). In addition, pollution with particulate matter peaks around intersections and at bus stops when children go to school in the morning.
Even the unborn child has to deal with it. Research by the University of Hasselt and the University of Aberdeen has just shown that, in addition to the placenta, traces of air pollution can now also be found in vital organs of unborn babies. These are tiny soot particles that we know can cause cancer. And that while these organs in the unborn baby are still in full development. The exact effect of the soot particles in fetuses on the development of the babies at a later age needs to be further investigated.
But what air pollution in general does to babies and children is becoming increasingly clear.
- Increased risk of lower birth weight and stillbirth
Babies are more likely to have low birth weight if their mothers were exposed to air pollution during pregnancy. Pollution, especially by particulate matter, increases the risk of a low birth weight by 2 to 6 percent. Babies with a low birth weight are at a higher risk of death in their first month, as well as of conditions later in life, including cardiovascular disease.
Air pollution also increases the risk of stillbirths. An analysis of 13 studies on the link between air pollution and stillbirths shows that there is indeed a connection. The risk is particularly high in the last weeks of pregnancy. The demonstrated effects were relatively small, but since we breathe air everywhere and at all times, the problem should not be underestimated. Still, the researchers also say further research is needed to confirm the link between polluted air and stillbirths.
- Risk of Alzheimer’s Signs
Very disturbing is a study by British scientists with children in Mexico City. There, children who have been exposed to air pollution for a long time even show signs of Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders in the brain. The researchers found in the brainstems of 186 young residents between 11 months and 27 years old, not only signs of Alzheimer’s, but also Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease (MND). The typical neuropathological features found even in the youngest infant included nerve cell growth, plaques and tangles formed by misfolded proteins in the brain. The researchers also found high concentrations of iron-, aluminum- and titanium-rich nanoparticles in the brainstem. The iron and aluminum particles were strikingly similar to the particles in air pollution from combustion engines and wear.
- Poorer school results
Texas researchers have found that students exposed to air pollution tend to do worse in school. Is this consequence direct or not? On the one hand, air pollution makes children sick, causing them to miss school more often and thus build up a disadvantage. On the other hand, chronic exposure to air pollution may negatively affect the neurological development of the brains of these children.
Air pollution does have a short-term impact on school results, say Chinese scientists. They found that a high degree of pollution leads to markedly worse scores in language and math tests. This can have important consequences, for example for students who have to take crucial exams on days with heavy air pollution.
When children are frequently exposed to air pollution, especially if there is a high proportion of harmful particulate matter in the air, they are up to 62 percent more at risk of developing ADHD.
Air pollution damages the airways, leads to inflammation, the formation of scar tissue and increases the risk of hypersensitivity and asthma. Every year, four million children worldwide develop asthma as a result of air pollution caused by car traffic. That’s 11,000 children a day. Asthma is linked to nitrogen dioxide emissions.
What can you do yourself?
It is primarily the government’s job to ensure that healthy air is a basic right. As an individual citizen, you can do no more than make some small, sensible choices:
- Do you take your youngest toddler in the buggy when you take young children to school? Then close the buggy with the rain cover.
- Avoid busy traffic roads or change your cycle route to a more car-free street.
- Do you live near a busy road? Then ventilate your house especially from the back.
- Don’t get stuck in a traffic jam. That leads to peak exposure. Rather opt for public transport.