Reduce Air Pollution, Improve Health
Looking ahead to Earth Day 2023 this Saturday, April 22, Earth Day Network organizers take a look back in time to see what inspired one billion Earthlings in more than 190 countries to celebrate the very first Earth Day in 1970:
In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Until this point, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatens human health.
Then, in 1962, everything changed. The publication of “Silent Spring,” written by Pittsburgh-area native Rachel Carson, quickly “raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and the inextricable links between pollution and public health.” By 1970, the first Earth Day “would come to provide a voice to this emerging environmental consciousness, and putting environmental concerns on the front page.”
Since the first Earth Day, air pollution has been a key concern. Although improvements in the appearance of smog in the United States have been made over the last few decades — the 1970 Clean Air Act significantly reduced the level of smoggy haze by limiting the amount of large, visible particle pollution emitted from fossil-fueled cars, trucks, and industries — looks can be deceiving. In urban and rural areas in the U.S., there is still a lot of air pollution being spewed, mostly particles too small to see (PM 2.5) and invisible gases (ozone-forming nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, for example):
The air we breathe is vital for the survival of humans and all other species that we share this planet with. In recent decades, an increase in quantities of particulates, chemicals and harmful gases have affected the quality of this basic requirement for life. Some of this air pollution comes from natural sources such as volcanoes, but most of it is actually caused by humans. Cars, airplanes, factories, other major industries and landfills release greenhouses gases. These gases, which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor and ozone, retain heat in the atmosphere and make the Earth warmer. They can also travel great distances and remain in the air for extended periods of time. Therefore, although some communities may not have caused the pollution, they may be negatively impacted by it.
Air pollution that results from burning fossil fuels can cause immediate health symptoms — burning eyes and throat, nasal congestion and sinus problems, difficulty breathing and acute asthma in children, hypertension, headaches, and stress — as well as conditions that last a lifetime, from pregnancy through childhood and into adulthood, from the cradle to a premature grave.
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“Ambient Air Pollution: Health Hazards to Children”
American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement (June 2021)
The tiny particles, smelly vapors, and chemicals that make up air pollution are known to impair fertility, complicate pregnancies, and lead to poor birth outcomes. Birth defects and developmental delays caused by some components of toxic air pollution lead to lifelong health burdens for young children, for their families, and for society. Lung cancer, bladder cancer, and other types of adult and childhood cancers are linked to air pollution, which impacts practically every organ system in the body — not just the lungs, but also the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys. Recent research describes the links between air pollution and the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia, ADHD, anxiety, depression and other forms of mental illness. And it is now estimated that nearly 9 million people worldwide die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution, and that includes tens of thousands of Americans.
In a study published earlier this month, researchers showed that maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can affect a young child’s lung function. Kristina Marusic cites fine particles and fumes from traffic and heavy industry as the leading culprits:
The study found that exposure to higher levels of air pollution during pregnancy was linked to lower lung function when kids reached age six. Children with reduced lung function are more likely to develop respiratory problems like asthma or COPD in adulthood.
“The lungs start growing in utero and your lung function by six or seven years old tracks for the rest of your life,” said Dr. [Rosalind] Wright. “We’re generally not talking to pregnant women about how to minimize and mitigate their exposure to air pollution, but we should be.”
The American Lung Association suggests 10 simple and effective things families can do to protect themselves from the hazards of air pollution:
1. Check daily air pollution forecasts in your area. The color-coded forecasts can let you know when the air is unhealthy in your community. Sources include local radio and TV weather reports, newspapers and online at airnow.gov.
2. Avoid exercising outdoors when pollution levels are high. Limit the amount of time your child spends playing outdoors if the air quality is unhealthy.
3. Always avoid exercising near high-traffic areas. Even when air quality forecasts are green, the vehicles on busy highways can create high pollution levels up to one-third a mile away.
4. Use less energy in your home. Generating electricity and other sources of energy creates air pollution. By reducing energy use, you can help improve air quality, curb greenhouse gas emissions, encourage energy independence and save money!
5. Encourage your child’s school to reduce exposure to school bus emissions. To keep exhaust levels down, schools should not allow school buses to idle outside of their buildings.
6. Walk, bike or carpool. Combine trips. Use buses, subways, light rail systems, commuter trains or other alternatives to driving your car.
7. Don’t burn wood or trash. Burning firewood and trash are among the major sources of particle pollution (soot) in many parts of the country.
8. Use hand-powered or electric lawn care equipment rather than gasoline-powered.
9. Don’t allow anyone to smoke indoors and support measures to make all public places tobacco-free.
10. Get involved.
The American Lung Association is a credible and respected source of information, including its most recent State of the Air Report 2023 issued this morning here.
Read more about air pollution and children’s health on The PediaBlog here and here.
Watch this excellent video illustrating the connection between air pollution, climate change, and children’s health from the New England Journal of Medicine.
source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/04/19/reduce-air-pollution-improve-health/
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