Air pollution now linked to serious illnesses among kids: Study

From dementia to altering brain structure in kids from sudden heart attacks to autism risk the health impact of longterm exposure to air pollution is not just respiratory illnesses as several new studies have documented this year aloneThese new investigations raise a fresh alarm for the governments and agencies in India to fasttrack their efforts to safeguard the population from air pollutionExposure to aboveaverage levels of outdoor air pollution increases the risk of death by 20 per cent and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 17 per cent according to a team of researchers including one of Indian originThe study published in the journal PLOS ONE in June showed that using wood or keroseneburning stoves not properly ventilated through a chimney to cook food or heat the home also increases the overall risk of death by 23 per cent and 9 per cent respectively and cardiovascular death risk by 36 per cent and 19 per cent respectivelyOur study highlights the role that key environmental factors of indooroutdoor air pollution access to modern health services and proximity to noisy polluted roadways play in all causes of death and deaths from cardiovascular disease in particular said researcher Rajesh Vedanthan from NYU Langone HealthIn a firstofitskind study published in the peerreviewed journal Environmental Pollution in September researchers linked exposure to air pollutants like particulate matter PM25 particularly in the first five years of life starting from the womb and alterations in the brain structure that may put children at psychiatric and cognitive disorder risks later in lifeThe study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health ISGlobal found an association in children aged 912 between exposure to air pollutants in the womb and during the first 85 years of life and alterations in white matter structural connectivity in the brainAbnormal white matter microstructure has been associated with psychiatric disorders depressive symptoms anxiety and autism spectrum disordersIn April Chinabased researchers claimed that exposure to air pollutants even at levels below World Health Organization WHO air quality guidelines may trigger a heart attack within an hourThe study published in the American Heart Associations journal Circulation found exposure to any level of four common air pollutants fine particulate matter nitrogen dioxide sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide could quickly trigger the onset of acute coronary syndrome ACSACS is an umbrella term describing any situation in which blood supplied to the heart muscle is blocked such as in a heart attack or unstable angina chest pain caused by blood clots that temporarily block an arteryThe adverse cardiovascular effects of air pollution have been well documented But we were still surprised at the very prompt effects said Haidong Kan professor in the School of Public Health at Fudan University in ShanghaiAnother surprise was the nonthreshold effects of air pollution Any concentration of air pollutants may have the potential to trigger the onset of a heart attack Kan addedAccording to UKbased researchers air pollution is likely to increase the risk of developing dementiaThe Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants in the UK published its findings in July this year after reviewing almost 70 studies that analysed how exposure to emissions affect the brain over timeThe 291page report concluded that air pollution is likely to increase the risk of accelerated cognitive decline and of developing dementia in elderly peopleExperts believe this is due to the impact of pollutants entering the circulatory system affecting blood flow to the brainLast month another study found that the impact of breathing diesel exhaust fumes may be more severe for women than menHemshekhar Mahadevappa and Neeloffer Mookherjee from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg Canada looked for changes in peoples blood brought about by exposure to diesel exhaustIn both females and males they found changes in components of the blood related to inflammation infection and cardiovascular disease but they found more changes in females than malesThese are preliminary findings however they show that exposure to diesel exhaust has different effects in female bodies compared to male and that could indicate that air pollution is more dangerous for females than males said MookherjeeThis is important as respiratory diseases such as asthma are known to affect females and males differently with females more likely to suffer severe asthma that does not respond to treatmentsAlso read Mumbai Finally pollution board rap for biowaste plantThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever