Pollution and Youth Health

Abstract

Adolescents and children have been deemed more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution than adults. Every day, almost 93% of the world's children and adolescents breathe dirty air, putting their health and development in danger. It demonstrates that pregnant women exposed to polluted air are more likely to give birth prematurely and have small, low-birth-weight babies. Air pollution has an impact on neurodevelopment and cognitive aptitude, as well as the risk of developing asthma and pediatric cancer. Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may have a higher chance of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease later in life. One reason children are especially exposed to the impacts of air pollution is that they breathe faster than adults and thus absorb more toxins. They also reside closer to the ground, where some contaminants reach peak concentrations, during a period when their brains and bodies are still growing. Numerous studies have revealed that air pollution has a negative impact on adolescents' health, with a particular emphasis on physical disorders, such as respiratory ailments. Furthermore, a few studies have found that kids who are exposed to poor air quality suffer from increased fatigue and mental issues both during and after the exposure.Air pollution is a global health concern that has major public health consequences, especially for youth. In addition to short-term impacts, early exposure to criterion air pollutants may be related to low birth weight, increased oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction, all of which may have long-term consequences for chronic noncommunicable diseases. Given the emerging epidemic of chronic disease in lowand middle-income countries, as well as the vicious cycle of rapid urbanization and rising levels of air pollution, public health, and regulatory policies to protect air quality should be integrated into the primary healthcare system's main priorities and health professionals' educational curricula.