Bad Air Pollution Days Harm Even Healthy Children.
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Comment| Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 | Emily Halevy | CWK Producer |
“We used to think smog and air pollution was only important for at-risk people. But now we know everyone’s affected.”
– Gerald Teague, M.D., pediatric pulmonologist
For city-dwellers and suburbanites, the ‘hazy days of summer’ doesn’t refer just to barbeques and picnics anymore. It also means smog alerts, nasal congestion and health advisories.
So how does this air pollution affect our children?
Take Jack McNeill, for instance. He lives in the city - and he has asthma.
“The city does give allergy or smog alerts,” he says, “and on those days I might use my extra inhaler just because of the added risk.”
But experts say that, nowadays, asthmatic kids aren’t the only ones who need to worry about smog alerts.
“Well, we used to think smog and air pollution was only important for at-risk people. But now we know everyone’s affected,” explains Dr. Gerald Teague, pediatric pulmonologist at Emory University. “Studies recently published show that even if you’re a healthy child and you grow up in an area with high ozone, your lungs don’t grow well.”
He says studies now show air pollution may, in fact, cause asthma.
“Now it’s gone from, ‘does air pollution trigger asthma attacks’ [to] ‘does air pollution have some role in causing asthma to develop.’ And there’s no final answer there, but a lot of information suggests it may have a role.”
So what should you do with your kids, on a red alert smog day?
Experts advise limiting indoor exposure to irritants – such as room deodorizers, candles and gas stoves. And avoid outdoor activity between four and six p.m.
“Because we know that around five [p.m.] that’s when the ozone level is the very highest,” Teague explains.
And when you exercise, he says, stay far away from major roadways.
“You might as well put your mouth to the tailpipe of a car - what you’re breathing in, right on that roadway. Cyclists, we work with cyclists a lot and we try to tell them the same thing: stay away from major traffic thoroughfares.”
But for kids like Jack, “There [are] some days,” he says, “where they’ll say it’s just not safe to be outside [at all].”
Tips for Parents
- If your child has asthma, learn what triggers attacks - mold, pet hair, cleaning agents, smog, etc. Avoid those triggers as best you can. (American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)
- Identify your child’s particular environmental triggers and work toward minimizing your child’s exposure to them, at home and school. (American Lung Association)
- Active children are the group at highest risk from ozone exposure. Such children often spend a large part of their summer vacation outdoors, engaged in vigorous activities either in their neighborhood or at summer camp. Be sure to check local weather reports to find out what your local air quality index. (Air Now)
- On red and purple smog days, limit your child’s exposure to school bus exhaust. Try to form a neighborhood carpool instead of having them ride the bus. (Gerald Teague, M.D., pediatric pulmonologist)
References
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Sierra Club
- The Effect of Air Pollution on Lung Development from 10 to 18 Years of Age, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
