Bronchiolitis is an inflammation of the small passages in the lungs (bronchioles) of children, usually caused by a viral infection.  Some children have infections with few or minor symptoms.  It begins as a mild upper respiratory infection that can develop into increasing respiratory distress with wheezing and a tight wheezy cough over just a couple of days.  The infant’s breathing rate may increase a lot, and the infant may start to become short-tempered or anxious-looking. If the disease is severe enough, the infant may turn bluish, which is an emergency.  There have been many viruses found that seem to be the cause of bronchiolitis, including respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, influenza, or parainfluenza.  The virus is transmitted from person to person by direct contact.

This article is about a study done to determine whether or not specific types of pollution increases the risk of infants developing bronchiolitis.  The researchers analyzed about 12,000 diagnoses of infants with the developing disease between the years of 1999 and 2002 in southwestern British Columbia.  They monitored the levels of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter from monitoring stations within 10 kilometers of the homes of the infants to determine exactly how exposed the children are to the pollution.  They also used maps of land use regression to assess intensities of ambient pollution with respect to traffic and wood smoke.  The researchers also used other confounding variables including sex, gestational age, maternal smoking and breastfeeding.  As a result, they found that bronchiolitis is definitely linked to the amount of exposure to specific pollutants.  Nitric oxide increased the illness by 8%, nitrogen dioxide by 12%, carbon monoxide by 13%, and sulfur dioxide by 4%.  Infants who lived within 50 meters of a highway had a 6% increased chance of getting the illness and those who lived in a higher wood smoke exposure area had an 8% increased chance.

Pollution can cause many different respiratory diseases for infants, but these researchers focused on bronchiolitis for many different reasons.  First, it is the main reason for infants to become hospitalized within the first year.  Secondly, it is pretty harsh for an infant’s lungs to handle.  Lastly, the disease is pretty costly to handle and resolve.

Reflection

I became interested in this article for many different reasons.  I am currently attending Fairleigh Dickinson to become an elementary teacher, so anything involving children catches my attention.  Also, I have had much experience with infants working in an infant room for two years, dealing with children ranging between 2 months and 18 months old.  When a baby is sick, so much changes, and a parent may need to take many days off from work to help the child get better.  With the economy right now, parents need to try everything they can to avoid having to do so.  A parent should take into consideration the amount of pollution is around the area they live in, along with the area their child’s school is in.  I felt that this article was a great way to keep parents educated on different concerns regarding their children, pollution that harms their children, and the places where their children spend the most amount of time.

Works Cited

American Thoracic Society. “Air Pollution Increases Infants’ Risk Of Bronchiolitis.”

ScienceDaily 7 November 2009. 7 November 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/11/091106084243.htm>.