The Effect of Environmental Exposures on Children’s Health

Children’s health is everyone’s number one priority across the world. They should always be checked by a physician at least twice a year. Children are very vulnerable to diseases and parents should always be careful with what their children eat and drink. Not only that but parents should be aware of the environment they have their children in because a hazardous environment can negatively affect the health of a child. But not every child live free from hazardous exposures due to their social status and area they live in. Even though industries are the backbone of a governments economy, children shouldn’t suffer from industrial pollution because children are the future of society. Nations need to build agreements, laws have to be, and governments need to start restricting industries from exposing so much pollution.

Let’s focus on Latin America. Latin America seems nice and lovely but if you go deeper into the country away from touristic sites, there is a lot of pollution and contamination. Industrial development and urbanization are proceeding rapidly in Latin America, and environmental pollution has become widespread (Laborde, 2015). These industries expose lots of hazardous chemicals and with these exposures in a child’s early life, it can produce diseases which also influences their life span and is why chronic diseases are increasing. Environmental threats to children’s health include traditional hazards such as indoor air pollution and drinking water contamination; toxic chemicals such as lead, asbestos, mercury, arsenic, and pesticides; hazardous and electronic waste; and climate change (Laborde, 2015). Countries in Latin America should open their eyes and see how badly industries are affecting these poor children and how it will later affect their population and future. The future depends on the new generations which is why we should always care about them and improve the world so they can be able to live in healthy environments and a healthy planet.

Works Cited

Laborde, Amalia, et al. “Children’s health in Latin America: the influence of environmental
exposures.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 123, no. 3, 2015, p. 201. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, https://link-galegroup-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A405679271/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=c0d58ea6. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019.