Introduction
Infants and young children are usually at a higher risk than older children and adults to exposure to environmental toxin ingestion. There are multiple reasons behind this: the smaller size of the toxin, its closeness to the ground, dust, and dirt. This also includes pica habits that may extend to the school-going age in children who have autism or any other developmental delay.They usually consume more water and milk than adults and adolescents. Health education by pediatric care providers should be included in practice, and guidance should be offered to reduce the risk posed by hazards to the children at home, pre-school, or daycare. Children breathe in more air, drink a lot of water, and eat more than per kilogram body weight compared to adults. This results in more air, water, and food contamination than in adults.
Why Children Are at Higher Risk of Ingesting Environmental Toxins?
- The children and infants are smaller than adolescents and adults, and a small dose of toxins gets larger per kg body weight. Small children like toddlers and infants have direct contact with the ground. This makes them more exposed to the chemicals in the house dust and ingest it from the dust on their hands, carpets, and floors. In the case of spraying pesticides, the infants can get them over the hands by touching the floor more frequently. This makes them prone to ingestion of more toxins than adults. The traps and mouse baits are placed on the floor, which are more accessible to the children.
- Oral Exploration: The children have oral exploratory habits that are hard-wired. Toddlers and small children tend to put objects such as toys in their mouths. Habits such as thumb sucking and finger sucking are also prevalent manifestations in children. This habit of oral exploitation makes them more prone to ingesting foreign objects such as ant baits and household dust. Children of three to four years of age develop these habits.
- Pica: Children cannot differentiate between what is edible and what is not. They tend to put everything in their mouth. This is known as pica. Small children and toddlers consume about 300-800mg of dust and dirt daily. In playgrounds, sometimes lead increases exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Extension of this pica behavior is usually associated with some medical conditions such as iron deficiency or sickle cell anemia. Children who have autism have a higher propensity towards the persistence of pica habits extending to later childhood and, in some cases, even adolescence.
- Diet: As compared to adults, children tend to drink more water per unit of their size. Infants drink more water as it is used to prepare the formula milk. Similarly, milk consumption by children and infants is more than that of adults as it comprises more nutrition. Some chemicals, such as PFAS, pass even into breast milk and are ingested by infants who are breastfed. Certain breast creams also contain mercury, and breastfed infants are easily exposed to the toxins. Breastfeeding is recommended for all infants in the first year of life.
- Susceptibility: Certain children are more prone to infection by toxins. Children who live in families under or at the poverty line with old households are at higher risk of developing lead poisoning. Children who have autism and other developmental delays may have persistent habits of pica even into their school-going ages. These children are more prone to lead poisoning after consuming paint, diet, and items with lead content.
What Are the Main Sources of Contamination?
The primary sources of contamination include:
- Water: Safe drinking water is a necessity, but if the water gets contaminated in municipal supplies or private week it becomes hazardous. Water in the wells gets contaminated easily by natural chemicals such as magnesium, copper, and arsenic. Man-made sources can also lead to contamination, such as lead in pipes, school water, fountains, and nitrates used in fertilizers. PFAS and other inorganic chemicals usually contaminate municipal water.
- Diet: Food may also contain traces of chemicals and their residue. Arsenic is present in rice, leading to guidelines about limiting the intent of rice products, especially in children and pregnant women. Fish contain toxins such as mercury stored in their fatty flesh, and humans eat them. As a home remedy, herbs are used in specific households to treat children. These may contain metals such as mercury and lead, leading to health risks in children.
- Environment: The play areas, schools, daycare, and outdoors may contain dirt that the children invest while playing. This can be a source of exposure to toxins at home and at school. Schools pose more risk if located near waste sites of toxins, electricity generating plants, and other industrial concerns. The presence of PFAS is seen outdoors, which may become a source of toxins ingestion in children.
What Are the Common Environmental Toxins?
- Arsenic: This causes anemia and is associated with gastrointestinal effects, loss of weight, neurotoxicity, and anorexia. This affects the developing fetus and has adverse effects on pregnancy.
- Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde off gas from press wood. This irritates the eye, nose, throat, and even skin and may also exacerbate asthma in patients.
- Lead: This is a common neurotoxin that delays children's cognitive functions and affects learning abilities. It also leads to anemia, defects in bone growth and kidney function, and also causes hypertension.
- Mercury: This is also a neurotoxin that is associated with delayed development and disorder in behavior in children.
- PFAS: This is an emerging pollutant. This affects the thyroid gland leading to thyroid problems, metabolic changes, and also abnormalities in the mammary gland. This may also cause some tumors.
Conclusion
Children and their parents are often exposed to hazardous contaminants in the environment, including chemicals that pose a risk to health, mainly in children. Prevention by limiting the extent of exposure to these chemicals can be of betterment to children's health.
