The arrival of the air quality index has turned the air condition of the capital and several cities of the country into red. Due to the negative effects that pollution has on the health of sensitive and vulnerable groups, such as patients, the elderly, and children, pollution creates limitations for them. Usually, on polluted days, these special groups are advised to stay at home to breathe less pollutants. Schools are closed or absent for this reason, because children are one of the most vulnerable groups exposed to air pollution, and according to the statistics of the World Health Organization in 2021, it was the second cause of death of children under five years after malnutrition.
Since the beginning of this week, the increase in the intensity of air pollution has led schools in some cities of the country to be absent. Today, Tuesday, December 20, classrooms in dozens of cities in the country have been online or closed for this reason. Schools in 17 cities in Khuzestan province, 12 cities in Isfahan province and 5 cities in East Azerbaijan have closed classes. Students in the cities of Tehran, Urmia, Arak, Qazvin, Alborz and Abek should also stay at home; Students in some cities have to attend online classes and some have closed schools.
Alireza Raisi, deputy health minister of the Ministry of Health, announced in his recent press conference that 30,000 to 35,000 people die annually in the country due to air pollution. The Deputy Minister of Health of the Ministry of Health has announced that the financial damage caused by air pollution in 1402 is about 12 billion dollars, which has put a heavy pressure on the country’s economy.
The placement of the air quality index of the capital at 161 (for today, 20 December) pollutes the air for all members of the society, but the conditions are so unfavorable for children that this age group should avoid heavy and long-term activities in outdoor spaces. Other people should also reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities.
Air pollution was the second cause of death of children under five years old in 2021
The World Health Organization’s reports of child mortality in 2021 show that 709,000 children under the age of five died that year due to air pollution. Domestic air pollution caused by cooking with polluting fuels has been responsible for more than 70% of these deaths. In addition to children, women are more exposed to this type of contamination due to their proximity to cooking areas.
Apart from domestic air pollution, another important source of air pollution that directly endangers children’s health is pollution caused by traffic, burning of fossil fuels, burning of garbage, forest fires and dust storms, and of course industrial activities also play a prominent role in polluting and making unhealthy. They have air, and the bigger problem is that in recent years, with the severity of climate change, air pollution has also intensified.
With the continuation of climate changes, the process of increasing pollution still threatens all of us, children more than us adults. This age group has a higher breathing rate due to being in the growing age, they spend a lot of time outside the house due to being in kindergarten and school, and their health is significantly damaged by exposure to air pollution sources.
In the discussion of the damage and effects of air pollution, the effect of pollution on lung function is generally discussed, but in children, in addition to this type of damage that affects the respiratory condition of children, problems such as damage to children’s brain development are also possible. The more children are exposed to pollutants in the air, the more likely they are to suffer from diseases such as cancer, heart problems, and respiratory diseases such as asthma and shortness of breath. These injuries may lead to diseases in childhood and there is a possibility that they will cause diseases in their future and adulthood.
Reducing children’s IQ, suffering from anemia and lack of vitamin D are other effects of air pollution on children’s health. Being exposed to polluted air also affects the development of children’s immune system and makes them have a weaker immune system.
Reducing the IQ and weakening the immune system is one of the consequences of air pollution for children
The presence of some heavy metals such as lead in polluted air causes these heavy metals to reach a lower level when air inversion occurs, and children are more exposed to it due to their shorter height.
It is because of all these reasons that the World Health Organization has declared that air pollution is far more dangerous for children than many viral and infectious diseases, and the younger the child, the more serious this risk is.
Of course, before being directly exposed to pollution and breathing unhealthy air, children have not suffered from air pollution. Air pollution affects even the fetus. The fetus may be born with a lower weight or be born prematurely due to the mother’s exposure to polluted air. Pregnant women breathing in polluted air increase the possibility of stillbirth or giving birth to babies who are smaller than their gestational age.
In addition to these cases, the pollution caused by burning fossil fuels enters the mother’s blood stream by passing through her respiratory system and by reaching the mother’s brain or placenta, she exposes the fetus to dangerous chemicals.
The total damage caused by air pollution for children can endanger their health both at a young age and in adulthood. Therefore, effective and long-term solutions to reduce air pollution are expected to be implemented in order to prevent children from being harmed and imposing psychological and financial pressures on their families.
