Children’s lung function is gradually decreasing due to air pollution
The amount of air pollution in Bangladesh is increasing day by day. Pollution-related diseases are increasing in tandem with air pollution. People of all ages are facing many physical problems due to breathing polluted air. Children’s health, in particular, is facing a serious threat due to air pollution.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.3 million people die every year due to environmental reasons. More than 90 percent of people are breathing unhealthy air. The Switzerland-based organization IQ Air consistently emphasizes the state of air pollution.
On January 28’s morning, Dhaka was ranked third among 124 cities in the world in terms of air pollution. At around 8:30 am that day, Dhaka’s air quality was 253 on the IQ Air quality index. This air quality is considered ‘very unhealthy’.
The main component of Dhaka’s air pollution is the presence of very small particles or PM 2.5 in the air. The presence of PM2.5 in Dhaka’s air is 35 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard.
Abdus Salam, a chemistry professor at Dhaka University, stated that all elements in Dhaka’s polluted air are harmful to human health. Polluted air contains solid and liquid substances and gases.
These include thousands of types of organic carbon, black carbon, heavy metals, sulfates, phosphates, nitrates, lead, cadmium, mercury. Again, gases contain sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide and many other metals. Each of which is a threat to human health.
Environmentalists and medical experts warn that air pollution is rising due to higher levels of Sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other toxic gases. As a result of air pollution, harmful elements such as plastic particles and lead are also increasing in the air.
These elements cause serious damage to the human lungs. People are inhaling these toxic elements and are suffering from various complex respiratory diseases.
There is a liquid substance in the human lungs called surfactant. It prevents the two parts of the lungs from sticking together. Without surfactant, we have difficulty breathing. The polluted air of Dhaka is destroying this liquid substance in the lungs.
Children are most at risk from air pollution. Children’s lungs aren’t mature enough to cope with pollution. The harmful elements in the air of Dhaka are reducing the performance of children’s lungs. As a result, children’s COPD, breathing problems, asthma, and lung inflammation problems are increasing.
Mahbubul Haque, Director of Bangladesh Children’s Hospital and Institute, commented on air pollution’s impact on children’s health, stating, “We do not breathe from the air.” The dust that enters the body from the polluted air first irritates it and causes colds and coughs. If this happens continuously, the immune system of the lungs becomes weak. As a result, the lungs become infected and pneumonia occurs.
He also said that children from families where members have asthma are more susceptible to air pollution-related diseases. They also have more difficulty breathing. Children who have other comorbidities are also more susceptible because they also have low immunity.
That is, healthy children also get sick, while it is like a death trap for those suffering from chronic diseases. The bad thing is that due to polluted air, such diseases do not respond to normal cold and cough medicines.
The director stated that, on average, around 30% of children treated at the Children’s Hospital have respiratory problems.
Professor Dr. Benazir Ahmed, former director of the Disease Control Branch, stated that air pollution mainly harms children by causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
That is, there will be problems with the respiratory tract. Polluted air contains some elements that are very small particles. They are so small that they enter directly into the lungs. These particles accumulate in the lungs through inhalation.
She also said, we are especially worried about young children. Polluted air can harm young children’s lungs, reducing their ability to breathe. Children will not be able to take in enough oxygen, because their air cells collapse like balloons and then grow.
In this way, they take in oxygen from the air and release carbon dioxide. If harmful air particles cling to children’s lungs and solidify like plastic, their lungs will not function properly.
