Breathing Smog While Pregnant May Worsen Asthma In Offspring
No Author Mentioned. Written on May 20, 2012
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/05/20/breathing-smog-while-pregnant-may-worsen-asthma-in-offspring
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/05/20/breathing-smog-while-pregnant-may-worsen-asthma-in-offspring
Picture: Does this child look happy to you? She certainly does not look happy to me. Well why does she look so unhappy? Because she struggles with asthma along with many other kids around the world. And when we pollute our air we are only making it worse for them and giving other kids a bigger chance of getting asthma.
Summary: New studies are now showing that not only can smog make kids that already have asthma have more difficulty, but can also harm the lung function of kids who are still in their mother's whom. How was this discovered and proven? A study of 162 kids that range in ages 6 to 15 in california that have been diagnosed with asthma were evaluated along with their mother's exposure to air pollution during pregnancy. What was discovered? Well according to the article, "The study showed that exposure to airborne particles and the pollutant nitrogen dioxide during the first and second trimesters was associated with poorer lung function growth in both boys and girls with asthma.". These results have added to 2 things. 1. the evidence that a mother's exposure to air pollution during pregnancy does affect lung development in children with asthma and 2. our current amount of air pollution does greatly affect human health.
Opinion/Reflection:
This really wasn't a long article and it didn't have much to say. But, I wanted to share it with you guys because I think what it did have to say was very important. Honestly, I know I have said this before, but so many people seriously do not understand how bad air pollution actually is!!! I personally hate air pollution so much, (I know some people might jump on me for saying this) but I think air pollution is something we need to worry about more then water pollution. This really is so important and it's scary to think that air pollution can affect you before you even get to say daylight! I never took air pollution so far to think it could affect a child in a womb, but when you think about it, it really makes sense! This article only made me want to raise more awareness for air pollution! I am so happy my family owns a prius!!!
Questions:
1. Could air pollution affect human organs other then the lungs? Which ones?
2. Many articles debate over whether or not air pollution actually causes asthma. Although there is not yet a deffinate answer to the cause of asthma many people strongly believe its caused by air pollution. What are your opinions on this? Does air pollution really cause asthma or does it just make it worse and cause more symptoms?
3. How many people in the U.S. are affected by asthma? Has this number increased or decreased?
4. Do you think we are on the right track to lowering our amounts of air pollution or do you think there is still more that we could do?
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ReplyDeleteOpinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Rachel, air pollution is a very serious threat to our environment and even our health. I really concerns and actually disgusts me to know that innocent children who have never contributed to the downfall of our air are still experiencing the negatives affects of what previous generations have done. We are responsible, and only we can begin to make a chsnge for the better. Unless our generation and the next do something significant about this, then nothing will change, and cycle will continue. With the growing population of the world, it would only get worse with time, not better. More people should be aware of this than there already are.
"Could air pollution affect human organs other than lungs Which ones?"
As somebody who always had very sensitive skin as a kid, I know that air quality has a significant impact on it's health. I always experienced worse skin conditions when I was in areas with polluted or dry air, like big cities or airplanes. I can only imagine how much worse that would get when it was part of the entire environment.
Opinion/ Reflection
ReplyDeleteI have to say Rachel, that child does look quite unhappy indeed. I’m not sure that she knows that she was born into a world where breathing our on air can sometimes be unhealthy. I hope nobody thinks that this is the mothers’ fault, (well it could partially depending on the amount of air pollution they release into the atmosphere a day) because a lot of the time, when people live in such areas with so much smog, going somewhere else, even for the time being, can be hard with jobs, payments, and even school. But if I were a mother, I would still feel like my child’s asthma would be my fault. Honestly, it’s pretty disgusting how we as Americans still have these industries, and pollute our air with little restrictions, even when humans are being affected. You would think more people would care. Well they have a Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization, I can’t see why they don’t have a Mothers Against Air Pollution organization.
4. Do you think we are on the right track to lowering our amounts of air pollution or do you think there is still more that we could do?
There will always be more that we can do. Right now, there are obviously industries, factories, and companies letting out tons of crap into our air daily, but nobody is putting much of a restriction on them. This is for the economy. But why does that really matter when we are destroying our planet? Things are only getting worse. I’m ready for an eco-friendly president.
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteI know this is something I say a lot, but being that little huff and puff kid since elementary school with asthma was traumatizing, and makes me think, WOW! It truly makes me wonder if part of my asthma was caused by of air pollution? I know that asthma runs in my family, so it's most likely just hereditary, but air pollution is definitely a contributing factor to why I constantly cough and wheeze at home, in school, running, or even sitting in class. Now that we have had 2 or 3 blogs on air pollution, the topic of asthma has risen to the surface a few times.It's not very surprising that it has become a theme in this unit, because over one quater of asthma attacks make up ER visits in the US. Just from this information, you can tell this has become a serious issue/disease! The website I will list below gives a ton of information on the amount of American asthma sufferers in children and adults. It's especially worrying to know that babies can be exposed to this type of pollution before they're even born.
3. How many people in the U.S. are affected by asthma? Has this number increased or decreased?
According to the website I used previously, roughly 25 million Americans suffer from asthma. This number has been, as expected, rising since the 1980's. If you relate the increase of the amount of pollution to the increase of asthma, they most likely are related. But what you also need to take into account is the rise in population, so naturally there is going to be a rise in the amount of asthmatics.
http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42
Reflection: Asthma is such a big issue in the united states. So many people I know have asthma so this issue needs to be solved because it is affecting many people. It angers me that so many diseases and problems are caused by air polution and there people are not educated to realize what is causing these diseases. It is hard to think that people are stuck in areas so polluted with smog and they cannot sell their house so they have to breath this unhealthy air everyday. This issue needs to be stopped and I am sure that there will not be as many health issues.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4
I do not think we are lowering the amount of air pollution. We have discovered so many different alternative energies, but people are too lazy to look into them. People also feel like alternative energy sources are a waste of money and they could spend there money elsewhere. What people do not understand is that this air pollution is affecting everyone and everyone needs to do their part to reduce the amount that gets released into the air. We should start looking more into the different alternative energies because with time and development I believe they will be just as efficiant as fossil fuels.