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The neurotoxic impacts of air pollution among infants and children

 Air pollution is now called an invisible killer of not just infants and small children but also the fetuses that are in the wombs of their mothers. Air pollution is a pressing issue worldwide in the recent era as the industrial and population growth has forced the use of fossil fuels more than ever. The burning of fossil fuels emits air pollutants such as Carbon Oxides (Cox), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Sulfur Oxides (SO), lead, ozone, and Volatile organic compounds. These air pollutants are not emitted only in gaseous form but also in the form of particulate matter which are even more fatal for the humans.

Among the most affected groups due to air pollution, children and infants are among the most vulnerable groups because of their limited capacities to fight against these pollutants. The recent studies in this field also highlight that not just children and infants, the fetuses inside the mother are also equally vulnerable to be affected by air pollution. The mechanism of action is simple: the exposure of mothers to air pollutants creates the same affect that tobacco smoking does. The air pollutants especially PM2.5 gets absorbed in the blood stream through inhalation and with the blood stream that carries nutrients for the fetus enter the body of the fetus (Potter et al., 2021)

Among various diseases that occur among the children due to air pollution, respiratory and neurotoxic diseases are most prominent. However, it has been studied that children in the stage of infancy are more vulnerable to the household air pollution than ambient air pollution. It is estimated that around 500,000 infant deaths in 2019 occurred due to household air pollution among children.

The most significant of all the diseases among children are the neurodegenerative diseases and neurotoxicity that are directly linked with the mental development and growth of the children. It is studied that PM2.5 carries oxidative stress of it enters a child’s body. Therefore, they are among the most critical causes of neurodegenerative diseases among children Moreover, lead poisoning is also studied to be among the most prominent source of neurotoxicity. The direct impact of neurotoxicity or neurodegeneration is that it affects the mental growth and development of the children at an early age. It has been studied that due to neurotoxicity, the learning capabilities and the memories of the children are highly affected. The intelligence quotient (IQ) of the children who lives in the urban settings especially in underdeveloped nations is found to be less than those who are less exposed to air pollution. Moreover, another study suggested that air pollution may lead to psychosis and it may also contribute to the crime rate especially due to lead poisoning (Costa et al., 2019).

The air pollution is a critical issue that needs urgent addressing especially in terms of health and development among infants and children. The best policy in this regard is to raise awareness and formulate regulations that can control the air emissions. Moreover, the urban planning must also be conducted to ensure that residential and commercial areas where the schools and hospitals are located must be established far from the vicinity of industries or highways (Payne-Sturges et al., 2019).

References

Costa, L. G., Cole, T. B., Dao, K., Chang, Y. C., & Garrick, J. M. (2019). Developmental impact of air pollution on brain function. Neurochemistry international, 131, 104580.

Payne-Sturges, D. C., Marty, M. A., Perera, F., Miller, M. D., Swanson, M., Ellickson, K., … & Hertz-Picciotto, I. (2019). Healthy air, healthy brains: advancing air pollution policy to protect children’s health. American journal of public health, 109(4), 550-554.

Potter, N. A., Meltzer, G. Y., Avenbuan, O. N., Raja, A., & Zelikoff, J. T. (2021). Particulate matter and associated metals: A link with neurotoxicity and mental health. Atmosphere, 12(4), 425.


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