(ANSA) – ROME, AUGUST 05 – Exposure to atmosphere pollution, including that caused by fires, has negative effects on children, exposing them to an increase in levels of systemic inflammation, with consequences on the heart. Confirming the risks is a new study from the University of California, Davis, published in the journal New Directions for Child and Adolescent Research.
The researchers examined blood samples from more than 100 healthy children between the ages of 9 and 11 in the Sacramento, California area. The researchers looked at daily and monthly data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5 which can enter the lungs and pass into the bloodstream) near their homes. By comparing them, they found that children exposed to increased air pollution had blood samples with elevated levels of inflammation markers, such as interleukin 6, and also less regulation of the autonomic nervous system in children, which affects heart rate and how hard the heart pumps, as assessed using an electrocardiogram. In total, 27 of the children studied had elevated blood markers of inflammation when significant levels of PM2.5 in the air were recorded in their neighborhoods, such as during nearby fires.
These findings are important, the authors conclude, “because exposure to pollutants released during fires has been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes in children, who have smaller bodies and organs than adults, including asthma and impaired function. pulmonary, as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism “. (HANDLE).
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