Air Pollution Can Damage Young Brains

The UNICEF or  United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund,lately released a report linking air pollution to be the cause of brain damage on infants and growing children.It says :



"Air pollution potentially affects children's brains through several mechanisms.First,particulate matter can cause neuro-inflammation by damaging the blood-brain barrier - a thin,delicate membrane that protects the brain from toxic substances. Ultrafine pollution particles (particulate matter that is equal or less than 2.5 microns in diameter) pose an especially high risk because they can more easily enter the blood stream and travel through the body to the brain................. Second,specific air pollution particles,such as magnetite,are so small that they can enter the body through the olfactory nerve and the gut.Magnetite is very common in urban outdoor air pollution,and a recent study found that it was considerably more present in brains of people living in areas where urban air pollution is high.Magnetite nanoparticles are highly toxic to the brain due to their magnetic charge and their ability to help create oxidative stress - which is often the cause of neurodegenerative diseases.

Third,several studies also show that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),a specific class of pollutants formed from fossil fuel combustion and commonly found in areas of high automobile traffic,contribute to a loss of or damage to white matter in the brain.White matter contains nerve fibers that are critical in helping neurons communicate across different parts of the brain.As a child grows and experiences the world around her,well functioning neural connections provide the foundation for continued learning and development."

"Air pollution has also been shown to affect the overall health of the fetus causing serious effects such as low birth weight,which in turn poses additional challenges for healthy early childhood development..."