Beware the winter smog, especially if you are a parent

City life doesn’t mean a good life. More often than not, it’s usually the other way round. You spend more, crib more, and it turns out, fall sick more often. And even as the smoke from the Diwali firecrackers clears, we are heading into winter — smog season. We’ve always known smog is not good for you. But new research shows how bad it can really be. For you and your children.

According to the upcoming issue of Brain and Cognition Journal, exposure to severe air pollution produces neuroinflammation and structural brain alterations in children. These findings conducted over a period of one year further revealed that exposure to air pollution may disturb the trajectory of cerebral development and result in cognitive deficits during childhood. In laymen terms: smog can impair your children’s learning abilities.

Cognitive deficit is an inclusive term used to describe deficits in intellectual functioning from mental retardation to learning disabilities such as dyslexia, anything that can be a barrier to cognitive performance — everything from problem-solving to remembering to paying attention to making decisions.

In a report published by the WHO (World Health Organisation) titled Effects of Air Pollution On Children’s Health And Development, research gathered over the last decade from across Europe provided conclusions about the risks posed by ambient air pollutants to various aspects of children’s health. The research outlines the effects of air pollution, common in contemporary European cities, on infant health, the development of lung infections, development and severity of allergic diseases (including asthma), childhood cancer and neuro-behavioral problems.

In a similar study conducted in Mexico City in 2008, it was found that exposure to air pollution is associated with neuroinflammation in healthy children and dogs. It was found that children with no known risk factors for neurological or cognitive disorders, residing in a polluted urban environment, exhibited significant deficits in a combination of fluid and crystallised cognition tasks.  The  Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health , published in 2007 studied the impact of air pollution on maternal and perinatal Health and found that air quality in the United States adversely affected the health of millions.

Dr Shobha Das, director and professor of Physiology at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, says, “While we don’t have research-backed evidence to prove the findings that link cognitive deficits and smog, one thing is for sure — the areas of concern regarding a young child’s health have increased with each passing year. And one of the biggest concerns is the exposure to a changing environment. And honestly while we don’t have quantifiable statistical data to prove the same, most of us in the fraternity acknowledge that the changing environment and our complete disregard for nurturing our surroundings has resulted in problems.”

Garima Khanna, housewife and mother of two, left Gurgaon for a more green locality on the advice of family elders and doctors, when her five-year-old son started suffering from severe breathing problems. Her son’s breathing and immunity to illness has improved in the past year.

In December 1952, the ‘Great Smog’ of London brought the capital to a standstill and caused an estimated 4000 deaths, and an additional 8,600  deaths during the first three months of 1953.

It’s almost a little over half-a-century since the ‘Great Smog’.  Environmentalists continue to cry themselves hoarse about the little ‘green’ things that do a lot. But as the winter smog rolls in again, we have to remember that the ones that might be paying the biggest price for not tackling air pollution could be our children.