SMOG-Dangerous for your kids

This is very worrying, today, due to the poisonous air in the whole world, children under five are getting the most premature deaths.

According to the World Health Organization report released in the year 2016, 1,01,788 children under the age of five die prematurely due to outdoor and indoor pollution. This means that about 12 children per hour are dying prematurely due to air pollution.






Out of these, the number of children who lost their lives due to external pollution is 7 per hour. The special thing is that more than half of the children who lose their lives are girls. Indian children are breathing in an air that is not in line with World Health Organization guidelines.


 In Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries where the rate of deaths due to air pollution is the highest after India. How to protect health from this air pollution and what measures should be taken to control this problem?

Impact on Pregnant women:

Pregnant woman's womb and a child born in it are most prone to air pollution. For this reason, cases of premature birth, low birth weight, and congenital disorders have increased. There is a direct correlation between infant deaths and outdoor and indoor air pollution.

Effect on infants:

The lungs of infants are most susceptible to the ill effects of pollution. Air pollution adversely affects the child's brain, nerve development and lung function at an early stage. At the same time, living in a poisonous air environment can also increase problems like cancer and obesity in children.

Problems such as lack of adequate mental development in children are causing problems in the development of nerves. At the same time, if a woman comes in contact with air pollution during pregnancy, it is also possible that

Later he also had to face heart disease. Many diseases begin to develop in childhood, which shows their side effects at a young age.

If you see these symptoms in children, go to the doctor

•  persistent cough
•  breathing problem
•  Nose, throat and eye pain
•  Eye irritation and redness
•  Frequent sneezing
•  Constant nose watering

How to protect children from air pollution| 

• Avoid taking children out of the house to the park etc.
• Avoid carrying a child on the main road or busy roads.
• For asthma or other allergies, keep on giving medical advice.
• If the child falls ill, see a doctor immediately.
• Keep the windows and doors of the child's room open for 5-10 minutes several times a day.
• Note that no one smokes around the child.

Health side effects of smog |

Brain- side effects of smog can also cause headaches and migraine attacks.

Eyes- Watery eyes can also irritate the eyes. To prevent this, apply eyeglasses.

Nose-sneezing, itchy nose, runny nose, and blocked nose are common symptoms of this problem. Taking steam of hot water proves to be effective in this.

Throat- Sore throat and cough. Can. Gargling with lukewarm water is beneficial for this.

 

Respiratory system- This pollution is harmful for lungs and pregnant women. Many of these pollution breath. There is also a factor of diseases.

Heart-blood pressure and long-term exposure to a polluted environment, the possibility of heart attack are also other Increases significantly compared to healthy people.

Skin- Itching due to exposure the to polluted environment for a long time - and can also cause skin cancer.

  This is how to avoid smog

Masks such as EN-95 may be used to conform to the standard. If you are not able to use the mask, then keep a handkerchief or a wench near you and tie it covering the nose.

• Steam with water, which works to clean your airways.
• Protect yourself from the polluted environment as much as possible.
• Get out of the house only when needed.
• Keep the doors of the houses closed. Nowadays, do not walk in the morning or evening.
• Try to plant around your house.

Asthma patients  in smog 

The number of asthma patients in the country is increasing. The problem of such patients increases even more in smog or polluted environments. These patients should consult their doctor. The amount of inhaler and medications should be ensured in consultation with a doctor.

Be aware of COPD:- Smog conditions can worsen chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are about three crore COPD patients in the country.
This disease is mainly caused by smokers, but also by non-smokers. It can be a victim. Chief among
Women who use biomass fuels and those affected by passive smoking are included.

Pollution Board Study:

The Central Pollution Control Board and the National Chittaranjan Cancer Research Institute have reported in a detailed study that every third child in Delhi has a lung disorder. Patel Chest Institute of Delhi Studies have shown that children are growing up with deformed lungs in polluted cities like Delhi. Smog also prevents sunlight and is hindering the absorption of vitamin D in children.

 

 What is smog How is smog formed?

This air pollution in the form of haze is called smog. Smog is made from a mixture of chemical substances and fog, which affects the lungs and other parts of the body.

In fact, the term smog was first used in 1905 by Dr. Henry, a scientist in England. The word smoke (smoke) and fog (fog) consist of these two words.

 

Harmful chemicals that are dissolved in the atmosphere pollute the air due to natural phenomena or human activities. These air pollutants, if emitted into the atmosphere, are called primary pollutants and if reacted with other pollutants, they are called secondary pollutants.

 

Their main targets are children, elderly, patients of heart and lungs, people with diabetes and people working in the outdoor environment. Due to the toxic effect of these pollutants, the fertilizer capacity of the ground decreases. There is an increased risk of birth disorders, asthma, lung cancer, and headaches.

How does air pollution affect human health?|  

Major air pollutants

• Particulate material.
• Nitrogen oxide.
• Sulfur oxide.
• carbon dioxide.
• Hydro Carbon.

Particulate material 

• Thousands of solid or liquid particles that float in the air, such as dust, dirt, and acrid particles. 
• These particles are harmful to health
• Particles can have toxic or cancer-causing effects.
• Microparticles can reach the lungs directly.

Nitrogen Oxide: This pollutant can block the passage of the respiratory tract.

Sulfur oxide: This pollutant element reduces the ability of the lungs to exchange gases.

Carbon Oxide: Reducing the iron present in the blood can cause headaches, fatigue.

Depletion of the ozone layer: Man-made pollutants spoil the ozone layer in the atmosphere. The ozone layer is eroded by secondary pollutants.

Chemical mist factor

In addition to external pollution, domestic biomass fuels, cigarettes, bidi smoke, etc. damage the lungs. India has 10 cities among the world's 20 polluted cities. Four of these are in Uttar Pradesh.

Due to air pollution

Smoke emanating from factories and mills and from vehicles is damaging the environment. Burning of waste in open places is also spoiling the environment.


At present, many areas of the country, including Delhi-NCR, suffer from much more air pollution than in the past. The air has become so toxic that it has now started attacking health. This problem has increased so much that many people are wearing masks on the streets.

 

The government should take these steps

• Effective control should be imposed on the burning of straw (crop residues).

• Harmful substances that pollute the environment should be banned.

• Vehicles that emit more smoke should be banned.

Reduction in the use of biomass fuel should be encouraged. In this context, the Ujjwala scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be considered a commendable step, which is likely to reduce domestic air pollution.

• The government should make a comprehensive plan of afforestation.