In winter, everyone looks so happy with the snow falling over their head. It's also the perfect time when people get to taste and smell air pollution. People with asthma would have a hard time breathing while they're out and about trying to enjoy the snow. Their families would assume it was just the cold, but little do they know that it's actually in the air that we breathe. The silent killer is getting to all of us and it's out to ruin lives.
The smell of the fumes of gasoline from cars mixed with that of the barbeque smoke from the restaurant grill and the dust from the construction site downtown can create the deadliest of air. Anyone who is trying to escape air pollution has nowhere else to go. People can't see the clear connection between these small sources of air pollution. Everyone is looking at the largest source of pollution.
Little do they know that it is the small ones that create deadly air even within the community. Those who live by the roads become victims to the pollutants like the neighbor's car or the barbeque grill that they have on Sundays. It is only when the little children in the family get sick that people become more aware of air pollution. All of a sudden, they look at the many things that cause air pollution.
The study conducted by the Exploration of Health and Lungs Environment (Exhale) among nine to ten-year-old children in London showed shocking results. These children have been exposed to pollutants in the community caused by traffic. Researches saw that air pollution has caused stunted lung growth in these children. Dr. Ian Mudway, the respiratory toxicologist in London said, "The data shows that the children's exposure to air pollution is keeping their lungs from growing properly. Children from the ages five to eight years old who are exposed to highly polluted areas lose as much as 10% of their lung capacity. The sad part is that they can never get this back."
In truth, this research is one of the latest ones conducted in the world. Each study reached the same conclusion: children who live by the side of the road suffer from stunted growth in their lungs. The California Children's Health continues to study this matter since 1993. They have measured the lunch capacity of children over a period of five to seven years. The children who participated in such study live within a third of a mile from the highway. The study shows that the lungs of these children fail to grow properly. Their exposure to Nitrogen dioxide from vehicle fumes damage their lungs. The tiny pollutants present in the air can even enter the bloodstream and cause unknown damaged from the inside.
The effects are devastating and people can only continue to discover the extent of the damages it has on the children. The mothers of these children as bringing the fight to the streets. Their call is for these sources of air pollution to stop and reconsider healthier alternatives. They have formed a group called "Mums for Lungs" and they are serious about putting an end to the silent killer in the air. They are pushing to replace the diesel buses into Electronic vehicles. The main goal is to spread awareness, not just about the pollution caused by traffic in the streets, but also of the small sources of air pollutants from the home.
The small changes that people can make in their homes can bring about a significant effect on the overall health of children. How close are your children to the smoke from the streets? The smallest of these pollution particles can enter their body and cause them to get sick.
The change can only be achieved when people get together. Air pollution is not just in London or in the United States. It is all over the world, so everyone should be concerned.
