Climate Impact and Health
Babies' Brains at Risk
1 in 6 children in the United States has a developmental disability.
When children are impacted by air pollution during early stages of their development, they are at greater risk for respiratory, GI, and neurological problems. As adults, they have a greater chance of developing physical and mental health issues, and are at higher risk of premature death.
The majority of these toxic air pollutants are produced by people, in a process inextricably linked with the growing impact of global climate change.
Communities Can Reduce Climate Impacts
Making a Big Impact for the Smallest Residents: HBBF's Bright Cities Program
Neurotoxic Exposures and the Developing Brain
Before- and after-birth exposures to toxic chemicals and pollutants significantly increase a child’s risk for neurodevelopmental disorder.
Before- and after-birth exposures to toxic chemicals and pollutants significantly increase a child’s risk for neurodevelopmental disorder.
During the first few years of life, a child develops neural connections at that incredible rate of 1 million per second. Whether or not these connections thrive or weaken creates what the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child calls “the architecture” of a child’s brain—a foundation with lasting effects on each child’s future.
Air pollutants, in particular, are a well-documented source of harm. Combustion-related air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide, and black carbon can disrupt brain development in utero, and exposures during pregnancy are strongly associated with premature birth and low birth weight.
When children are impacted by air pollution during early stages of their development, they are at greater risk for respiratory, GI, and neurological problems. As adults, they have a greater chance of developing physical and mental health issues, and are at higher risk of premature death.
The majority of these toxic air pollutants are produced by people, in a process inextricably linked with the growing impact of global climate change.
Air Pollution and Climate Change
The acceleration of a rise in global temperatures increases the likelihood of both ozone exposures and heat stress, particularly among low-income and systemically disadvantaged communities.
In other words, as climate change increases, exposures to neurotoxic chemicals also increase. Climate change is not just an environmental issue: it is a health justice issue.
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Environmental justice and climate solutions go hand-in-hand.
Neurotoxic exposures are invisible, and their effects aren’t immediate. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Individual activists and city governments can start a snowball of change.