{"id":38423,"date":"2024-03-15t16:14:48","date_gmt":"2024-03-15t16:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=38423"},"modified":"2024-03-15t16:14:49","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15t16:14:49","slug":"children-health-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/children-health-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"parents concerned for the health of their children impacted by the effects of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
by ruby grisin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n washington \u2013 when dr. lisa patel was working on a project for the environmental protection agency in 2005, she visited a children\u2019s hospital for asthma in mumbai, india. after seeing the main parts of the center, she was surprised when the coordinators took her to a nearby gymnasium that had been converted to a children\u2019s asthma ward. it was filled with even more children who were receiving care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n seeing an entire gymnasium full of child asthmatics struggling to breathe was moving for dr. patel, the executive director of the medical society 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果
on climate and health. but the global climate crisis became much more personal when the california wildfires reached her own children almost a decade later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cthat\u2019s when it became very concrete to me that no child should be breathing in this absolutely foul pollution that\u2019s ruining their health,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n according to a report<\/a> by the harvard t.h. chan school of public health, children face disproportionate ill effects as a result of climate change, largely because they are actively developing both mentally and physically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n children are affected by both \u201cindoor air\u201d and their surrounding climate, executive director of the children’s environmental health network nsedu obot witherspoon said at a moms clean air force (mcaf) event about children\u2019s health in the face of the climate crisis on feb. 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n according to witherspoon, \u201cindoor air\u201d is impacted by a number of products including cleaners, toys, pesticides and other human-made items children encounter. \u201cclimate\u201d encompasses air quality, water quality, pollution, natural disasters and any additional environmental factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n while everyone is impacted by these types of exposure, children are more likely to be negatively impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201ctheir airways are smaller. they have developing immune systems,\u201d dr. patel said. \u201cso things like nox or pm2.5 irritate the lung lining and put children at higher risk for respiratory illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n nox, also known as nitrogen oxides, are \u201ca group of highly reactive gasses, including nitrogen dioxide, nitrous acid, and nitric acid,\u201d according to the arizona department of environmental quality (adeq).<\/a> similarly, the adeq classifies pm2.5 as \u201cthe smallest, most harmful particulate pollution.\u201d pm2.5 is a combination of nitrogen oxides and other harmful substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n in the u.s., 49% of parents say climate change has affected their decision about having more children, according to a recent study<\/a> conducted by morning consult on behalf of the technology company, hp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n moreover, the study concluded that 91% of parents globally are worried about the climate crisis and have changed their purchasing habits as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201ci studied climate change in college and at the time, it felt like a calling, and it felt like something that i wanted to do,\u201d dr. patel said. \u201cbut i think when i had my kids, it no longer felt like a choice. it felt like something that i had to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n even so, parents have little control over what substances their children come into contact with. with more than 12 million children<\/a> under the age of five in the united states in some form of nonparental care, witherspoon said the industry lacks sufficient regulations, focusing on these \u201ccritical windows of exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n existing health and safety policy surrounding child care is largely centered around the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases and violence, though there are also climate-related regulations to highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n the national resource center for health and safety in child care and early education is the most prevalent organization setting health and safety standards for child care facilities. their resources<\/a> give providers national and state standards to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n one national standard<\/a> largely influenced by the clean air act stated that providers must check the air quality index before determining if it is safe for children to play outside. there are also established protocols<\/a> surrounding natural disasters to keep facilities prepared to protect children in the event of an emergency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n states can establish their own rules for child care providers too. for example, a 2018 california law<\/a> required licensed child care centers to test their water for lead by 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n after results found shocking levels of the poisonous substance<\/a> in the water supplies, rep. katie porter (d-calif.) said<\/a> california children\u2019s lead exposure was alarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cone in four california child care centers has dangerously high levels of lead in their drinking water,\u201d porter said. \u201cchildren are our future, and we owe it to every american to protect all kids\u2019 safety and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n in remarks made in pittsburgh on feb. 20, vice president kamala harris promised to eliminate all lead pipes in the united states, recognizing the impact that lead has on children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n the biden-harris lead pipe and paint action plan<\/a> \u201cincludes over 15 new actions from more than 10 federal agencies that ensure the federal government is marshalling every resource to make rapid progress towards replacing all lead pipes in the next decade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cwhen children drink toxic water through lead pipes, it has an impact on their learning ability, on their health,\u201d harris said. \u201cand for too long, this has been the case, that communities have been crying out for support to get rid of these lead pipes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n there are also environmental justice concerns around the quality of drinking water, which porter alluded to in her remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cmany of the worst facilities for lead levels are in low-income areas or communities of color,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n according to witherspoon, the child care industry is a space where environmental injustice is heightened because the profession is largely dominated by women, including women of color and women of childbearing age. she said there is a dual benefit of reducing the environmental hazards and limiting the negative health effects for both children and their care providers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n another concern for children\u2019s environmental health is exposure to plastics. judith enck is the founder and president of beyond plastics and a former epa regional administrator. her work focuses on the dangers of plastic pollution. at the mcaf event in early february, she cited how plastic emissions are replacing those originally produced by the coal industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cplastics is plan b for the fossil fuels industry,\u201d she said. \u201call of us have microplastics in our bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n microplastics are a particular danger because they are being found in a variety of organs, from livers<\/a> to placentas<\/a>. according to a study by a peer reviewed journal titled birth defects research<\/a>, exposure to microplastics as a newborn \u201cis linked to the development of multiple illnesses in adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n yet exposure can also occur before a child is born, \u201cwhich may have the potential to cause harmful effects later in life,\u201d according to a recent study<\/a> by environment international.<\/p>\n\n\n\n while action has been taken against the rise of plastics, enck said she is still working toward more change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n in december, the epa decided<\/a> that vinyl chloride, which has been a known carcinogen for about 50 years<\/a>, will be among five chemicals that will begin the risk evaluation prioritization process under the toxic substances control act, enck said. \u201cbut that\u2019s the beginning of a ten-year journey to ban vinyl chloride,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n research shows that children\u2019s mental wellness is also affected by the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cthere\u2019s actually some emerging data that early exposure to air pollution places children at higher risk for anxiety and depression,\u201d dr. patel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n dr. lise van susteren, a medical doctor and general and forensic psychiatrist, indicated the youth population is paying a mental toll for the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cthe extreme weather events they face not only bring \u2013 acutely \u2013 fear, anger, sorrow, etc. but over time, what happens is they become dispirited, even demoralized and feel potentially a feeling of abandonment and betrayal by their government,\u201d dr. van susteren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n while the public might differ over which initiatives to support, two-thirds of americans agree that the government should be doing more to solve the climate crisis, according to a 2020 study<\/a> conducted by the pew research center. this support extends across partisan lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\nprevention through policy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
exposure to plastic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
the mental health toll of the climate crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n