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Indian govt should see these studies that link air pollution with child’s brain development

Bhupender Yadav claimed that there is no specific study on the impact of air pollution on cognitive and motor impairment of children.

By Ground report 12 Feb 2024

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Indian govt should see these studies that link air pollution with child’s brain development

The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has claimed that there is no specific study on the impact of air pollution on cognitive and motor impairment of children. He made this statement in Rajya Sabha, in response to a question raised by a member of parliament. The minister also listed some of the steps taken by the government to address the issue of health impact due to air pollution.

However, his claim has been challenged by experts, who have cited several studies that show the harmful effects of air pollution on children’s brain development and mental health. They have also criticized the government’s measures as inadequate and ineffective.

Ministry's pollution impact claim refuted

According to a study by the University of Washington, Air pollution can harm children’s brain function and mental health. Children whose mothers experienced higher nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure during pregnancy, especially in the first and second trimesters, were more likely to have behavioural problems.

The study also reported that higher exposures to small-particle air pollution (PM2.5) when children were 2 to 4 years old was associated with poorer child behavioural functioning and cognitive performance.

"We found that, even in cities with heavy traffic but relatively low pollution levels, children exposed to higher levels of NO2 prenatally, especially in the first and second trimester, experienced more behavioural problems" said Yu Ni, lead author and a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.

Indian cities, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, record air pollution multiple times above both WHO and Indian national safety standards. The average Indian reportedly loses about 5.3 years of life expectancy due to poor air quality, as per a recent University of Chicago study. Delhi's air quality index in 2023 was 204, slightly improved from 209 in 2022, both rated "poor" by the Central Pollution Control Board.

A third study by the University of Southern California has shown that air pollution can affect the developing brains of young children. The study found that children who lived in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution had reduced brain growth, lower IQ scores, and poorer memory and attention skills.

The study found that air pollution can damage children’s brain in many ways. It also showed that air pollution damages children’s brains in many ways. Their brains were smaller and inflamed. They also had trouble with their senses and their thinking.

Polluted air harms babies

These studies, and many others, contradict the minister’s claim that there is no specific study on the impact of air pollution on children’s brains. They also highlight the need for more urgent and effective action to reduce air pollution and protect children’s health.

The January last year's edition of Springer Nature’s Journal of Environmental Health published a paper that found an inverse association between higher exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy and the motor, cognitive and language scores of two-year-old children. The study, which the Department of Integrative Physiology at the Colorado University in Boulder led, found that prenatal ambient air pollution may impact neurodevelopment negatively in early life.

The experts have also questioned the government’s steps to address the issue of health impact due to air pollution. They have pointed out that the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was launched in 2019, has no legal mandate, no clear targets, and no accountability mechanisms.

Government tries to clean air

The minister, Yadav, said that the government is doing many things to protect people’s health from air pollution. He said that the government has started a National Clean Air Programme in January 2019. This programme covers 131 cities in 24 states and union territories. The government gives money to these cities to make plans to improve the air quality.

He also said that 34 states have made their plans to deal with climate change and human health. The government has also made a National Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health. This plan tells what the health sector should do to deal with climate change and who should help them.

He said that the National Clean Air Programme aims to reduce air pollution by 40% or meet the national standards by 2025-26. He said that the Union health ministry has another programme to make the health care system stronger to deal with diseases caused by climate change.

Yadav also said that the government has released a Comprehensive Health Adaptation Plan for Diseases due to Air Pollution on August 30, 2021. This plan tells how to deal with health problems caused by polluted air. He said that the government is also trying to make people aware of the issue and has made training manuals for people who are more at risk, such as children.