New Article: Climate Change Impact May Affect Kids More Severely

Posted by Stanford Medicine on July 26, 2022

Severe climate changes have led to a global health concern and renewed need for climate-related research. Kari Nadeau, director of Stanford Medicine’s Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research, and Frederica Perera, Ph.D. at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, found that children experience more extreme ramifications of pollution and climate change. Differences in how children metabolize toxins, their need for air on a per-pound basis, and variations in how they regulate their body temperature are all factors that put them at a higher risk. They reported that within the next ten years, at least one child would suffer from a climate-changed-related event worldwide. Additionally, the disproportionate effects of climate change have worsened health effects and shortened lifespans in disadvantaged communities. The authors believe that incorporating children’s environmental health into primary care, conducting local ecological assessments, and participating in community-led pollution and emission reduction measures will lead to a better understanding of the impact of climate change on children.

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