Air Pollution Linked to Asthma in Children
Researchers are finding that exposure to air pollution is
having a negative impact on children living near sources of the pollution. In
Pennsylvania, researcher Deborah Gentile is finding that of children living
near sources of air pollution, like steel mills, and power stations, up to a
third are experiencing asthma or asthma-like symptoms. In Allegheny County, the
rate of children with asthma is almost twice the national rate.
The likely cause of this is the children’s exposure to PM
2.5, or particulate matter that is more than 2.5 microns in diameter. PM 2.5 is
a byproduct of burning fossil fuels and is made up of thousands of different
chemical components. These particles become embedded deep in the lungs and have
been linked to health problems such as lung cancer, asthma attacks and even
premature death.
Gentile also says that minority families and people of lower
socioeconomic status are disproportionally effected by this problem as they
cannot afford to live in places further away from these sources of pollution.
Read or listen to the full story at: https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-07-07/air-pollution-unhealthy-secondhand-smoke-new-study-says
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