Children choke on toxic air, risk serious illnesses

Doctors have warned that while there are several immediate impacts of air pollution on children, prolonged exposure -- especially when they leave for school at a time when the air is most polluted -- can lead to constrained growth of organs and impaired brain development.

Residents of Delhi are breathing in highly polluted air that is making otherwise healthy individuals report symptoms such as cough and sore threats, but children are the worst hit by the rising pollution in the city, according to multiple health experts HT spoke to.

Experts said that the plight of children in Delhi is much worse compared to developed countries, and also to many other Indian cities where the ambient air is relatively cleaner. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Doctors have warned that while there are several immediate impacts of air pollution on children, prolonged exposure -- especially when they leave for school at a time when the air is most polluted -- can lead to constrained growth of organs and impaired brain development.

Dr Rakesh Bagdi, paediatrician at Delhi’s Kalawati Saran Children’ Hospital, said: “The problem is that pollution levels are at their peak in the morning when the children have to head for school. We are already seeing a spike in cases of infants whose pre-existing respiratory conditions have worsened,” Bagdi said.

Mornings are the hours when the lowest of temperatures are recorded and the colder, heavier air settles closer to the ground -- in later hours, the heat from the sunrays help set off convection currents, taking trapped pollutants higher in the sky.

Experts said that the plight of children in Delhi is much worse compared to developed countries, and also to many other Indian cities where the ambient air is relatively cleaner.

Dr Krishan Chugh, director and head of the department of paediatrics at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said that over the last two years, children coming in with complaints of pollution-related illnesses reduced significantly because of the Covid-19 lockdown, and closure of schools. But, now that children are back to regular schools cases this season have seen an uptick again, he added.

“Around a month ago, we were seeing around 20% children coming in with respiratory distress and other pollution-related problems. The proportion of such cases among paediatric patients has gone up to 70%-80%,” Dr Chugh said.

He said that if children spend only a few hours in Delhi’s toxic air, they can develop headaches, nausea and cranky behaviour. Lack of concentration and lowered energy is also seen among children during this period.

Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatrician and group medical director, Apollo Hospitals, said Covid-19 lockdowns impacted the daily routines of children, and now restrictions on outdoor activities on account of high pollution is also becoming routine.This, he said, will also have long-term health impacts on children.

He added that the parents of many children prefer taking their children away from the city around the time of Diwali when the pollution starts peaking to save them from the toxic air. “Pollution is a seasonal problem in Delhi, which means every year their (children’) activity is being governed by the air outside, and over a period of time this may lead to lifestyle disorders such as obesity. There has to be a holistic solution to the pollution problem of Delhi,” Dr Sibal said.

Tripti Singh, a mother of two and a resident of south Delhi’s Greater Kailash, said that the onset of winter comes with increased visits to the doctor as her five-year-old daughter’s asthma tends to flare up.

“My daughter was premature. She is generally a little weak compared to other children her age and she also has asthma. Her asthma tends to flare up and some days it becomes really bad. We don’t allow her to go out to play on severely polluted days and it’s like a hibernation period for her,” said Singh.

Doctors advise that limiting outdoor activities, especially during early morning and late evening when the pollution levels are higher than usual, keeping children hydrated and ensuring that they wear N95 masks while stepping out, will help.

Some studies have suggested said children born in highly polluted cities start bearing the brunt of pollution at a prenatal stage.

A 2018 study by the World Health Organization also revealed that when pregnant women are exposed to polluted air, they are more likely to give birth prematurely, and may deliver smaller, lower birth-weight children. Air pollution also impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive ability and can trigger asthma, and childhood cancer. Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at greater risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease later in life.

Doctors said that maternal exposure to air pollutants can adversely impact birth outcome and children’s respiratory systems, immune status, brain development, and organ growth and cardio-metabolic health, which is a cluster of interrelated risk factors including hypertension, obesity, elevated fasting blood sugar, and other problem.