Babies in prams can be exposed to up to 60
percent more pollution than their parents, causing potential damage to
their frontal lobe and impacting on their cognitive abilities and brain
development.
In a study published by the Global Centre
for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey in
Environment International, researchers examined more than 160 references
to highlight the factors concerning the pollution exposure of babies in
prams and associated mitigation strategies.
GCARE researchers also investigated
different types of prams based on their height, width, and whether they
seat one child or two to assess if this impacted on pollution exposure
levels. They found that infants in prams breathe in more polluted air
since they are positioned between 0.55m and 0.85m above ground level and
vehicle exhaust pipes usually sit within 1m above road level. This
increases in-pram babies' vulnerability to being exposed to more
pollution than adults.
The study suggests a range of mitigation
actions, including 'active' solutions such as controlling emissions of
road vehicles, and 'passive' actions, such as roadside hedges between
vehicles and pedestrians. The researchers also suggested technological
solutions that can help to create a clean air zone around the child's
breathing area as another effective mean. They concluded that a mixture
of innovative technological solutions, community activism, and
exposure-centric policies that encourage authorities to tackle traffic
congestion are needed as they are seen to be the key to a lasting
solution to the problem.
The review also notes other measures such
as carpooling, using public transportation to reduce traffic levels,
improving technologies and community collaborations with industry could
make a real difference to improving air quality for children.
According to UNICEF, 17 million children
across the world who are less than a year old live in regions where air
pollution levels exceed World Health Organisation recommended
guidelines. Children from poor economic backgrounds are most at risk of
these dangerous levels of pollution because of a lack of nutrition,
access to health care, and exposure to tobacco smoke.
Professor Prashant Kumar, who is a Chair
in Air Quality and Health and the Founding Director of the Global Centre
for Clean Air Research, said: "We know that infants breathe in higher
amounts of airborne particles relative to their lung size and body
weight compared to adults. What we have proven here is that the height
most children travel at while in a pram doubles the likelihood of
negative impacts from air pollution when compared to an adult. When you
also consider how vulnerable they are because of their tissues, immune
systems, and brain development at this early stage of their life, it is
extremely worrying that they are being exposed to these dangerous levels
of pollution.
"Our past research motivated us to set-up
the MAPE (Mitigation of Air Pollution Exposure to young children)
project that aims to develop targeted mitigation strategies and
solutions. We are working together with industrial partners to develop
innovative technological solutions and giving this aspect a special
attention in our on-going living lab activities, including community and
stakeholders' engagement, part of our another in-progress project,
iSCAPE.
"With the multitude of evidence we set out
in this review, it is important that everyone across the country begin a
full and frank conversation about pollution and the impact it has on
our most vulnerable - from parents and community leaders, to government
officials and industry."
No comments:
Post a Comment