Did you know that more than 7 million children die yearly due to air pollution? Pollution is harmful to children as well as the elderly. Still, air pollution can be more dangerous for newborns (less than one year), especially since the risk of premature death in newborns in Polluted areas is very high.
A recent study showed that the impact of pollution on children under the age of one year is very bad in a way that can kill them. And this study was conducted at Cardiff University School of Medicine, and many previous studies also mentioned that air pollution increases the risk of respiratory and heart diseases and causes early death.
Newborns are more susceptible to very small dust particles and dangerous gases in the air, and according to research published on Researchgate, the three most dangerous pollutants for infants are PM10 (molecular matter 10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). And in cities where one or all of them are high, the chances of infant death within one year of birth increase from 20% to 50%.
And smoke emitted from vehicles can damage a child’s lungs. After conducting research at the University of Leicester, scientists said that smoke from vehicles on the road could also be dangerous for children.
According to this research, three months after birth, a baby’s lungs can be affected if you travel a lot on the road full of cars with a new baby. These babies may develop asthma or any serious disease related to the lungs breathing at an early age.
How do we save young children from pollution?
Some measures can be taken to protect your child from pollution and respiratory problems:
– Do not travel on the road with a lot of traffic for babies under three months old.
– The child should be breastfed with thick yellow milk, as it increases the child’s immunity and makes their lungs strong.
– If your home is near the main street, keep windows and doors closed so that air pollutants do not reach the child’s lungs.
– If your child has trouble breathing, see a doctor as soon as possible.
– To protect your baby (under six months old) from mosquitoes, use a mosquito net instead of smoked coils or electronic mosquito repellents, as the smoke from the coil can harm the baby.
