Raise the Hammer

Here's the link, to Toronto Public Health on the official City of Toronto website:

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2007/...

An excerpt from page 6:

"Children are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of traffic given their immature physiology and immune system which are still under development. Furthermore, children breathe more per unit body weight than adults. In addition, children tend to spend more time outdoors, engaged in strenuous play or physical activity, resulting in greater exposure to air pollution than adults."

From page 10:

"An Italian study which modeled benzene concentrations (based on traffic density) found a nearly four-fold increase in the risk of childhood leukemia in the highest exposure group (Crosignani et al. 2004). An ecological study in Sweden (Nordlinger and Jarvholm. 1997) and a UK study of children residing close to main roads and petrol stations (Harrison et al. 1999) provide further support for this association."

From page 11:

"There is emerging evidence that vehicle-related emissions are associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Several studies have reported an association with low birth weight in infants and maternal exposure to emissions during pregnancy (Bell et al. 2007; Liu et al. 2003; Salam et al. 2005; Sram et al. 2005; Wilhelm and Ritz. 2005). It has also been suggested that there is an association with preterm births and intrauterine growth retardation, but these studies are less consistent (Ponce et al. 2005; Sram et al. 2005). Finally, there have been a few suggestions of an increased risk in these infants of sudden infant death syndrome and birth defects like congenital heart defects but further research is needed to confirm these findings (Dales et al. 2004; Ritz et al. 2002; Sram et al. 2005).

As has been discussed, prenatal and early exposure to traffic-related pollution has a significant impact on the health of the fetus and infant, but it can also predispose them to a range of other illnesses. Adverse birth outcomes like low birth weight have been linked to the development of chronic illnesses later in life like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, lower cognitive function, and increased cancer risk (Perera et al. 2005; Perera et al. 2006)."

Comment edited by KevinLove on 2015-10-30 21:03:48