As climate threats intensify, children face growing health threats – Health official

Additional focus must be placed on children as climate change continues to fuel extreme heat and worsen air quality, according to Nayan Persaud, the country’s director for climate change and environmental health.

In a recent interview, Persaud explained that children are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change because their bodies are still developing and are less able to cope with environmental stressors.

“I think individuals should be more aware of why children are vulnerable to climate change and the effects of it. They are at the development stage of their lives. Their bodies are not adapted to the effects of climate change,” Persaud said.

Persaud said children breathe more air and consume more water relative to their body size than adults, making them more susceptible to heat and pollution.

“When they are exposed to heat outside, they are lower to the ground, so they are affected by a lot of the pollutants and become dehydrated faster,” he said.

For this reason, he said it important that persons are aware of the rising temperatures and worsening environmental conditions that could place even greater strain on children’s health if preventive measures are not taken.

He also pointed to Sahara dust as another growing concern. The fine dust particles, which travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic, can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

“The finer particles can get into your bloodstream. Persons with already existing health conditions, whether respiratory illnesses or even heart problems, are more susceptible to the dust causing these health problems. They will wheeze more and have more serious complications,” he said.

Children with asthma and other respiratory conditions are particularly at risk during periods of poor air quality.

To reduce those risks, the Ministry of Health is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Hydrometeorological Office to issue advance public advisories whenever hazardous environmental conditions are expected.  In the meantime, he advised parents to keep children indoors when air quality deteriorates or temperatures become dangerously high, ensure they drink enough water, and take other precautions to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.