Industrial pollutions on the health effects of infants, children, and adolescents: A systematic review

Abstract

Industrial pollution is considered especially harmful to juveniles health. This paper analyzes the effect of common pollutants, including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, persistent organic pollutants, and heavy metals, on three different types of diseases. It can be concluded that particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, and POPs are significantly associated with neurodevelopmental deficiencies in infants. Endocrine-disrupting effects and neuroinflammation are considered the leading causes, but the specific mechanisms remain questioned. Pollutants from heavy industries have a higher potential to cause childrens respiratory diseases, and residency within 4 km of the industry is especially hazardous. Biomarkers VEGF and urinary 8-OHdG reflect a high glutathione-related oxidative burden for exposure to toxic metals attached to particulate matter. Deregulation in metabolism and DNA oxidative damage is shown to be responsible for increasing cancer risk, but the triggering pathway is unclear. The tendency to develop diseases in both genders is heterozygous, and a larger dataset is required to draw a conclusion.