Pregnant women and children under the age of two are most at risk of developing respiratory diseases once exposed to the toxic smoke for an extensive period, says paediatrician Dr David Bratt.In an interview with the T&T Guardian on Thursday, Bratt warned, "Unborn babies and those about one or two months can be predisposed to chronic respiratory problems like asthma because that is what polluted air does."
Bratt said since the fires began on Monday at the Beetham Landfill he has been seeing more patients especially from the Belmont, East Dry River and Woodbrook areas."There was a little girl from Westmoorings who came to see me on Wednesday because the smoke had just arrived there and she had itchy eyes," Bratt said.Bratt, however, expressed serious concern for pregnant women living at Beetham Gardens saying it was still unknown what were the elements of the smoke.
"We need to do a proper analysis to determine what is in that smoke because there are all sorts of things being burnt at the dump," Bratt said.He said the best advice he could give was to keep indoors and children should avoid Port-of-Spain, if necessary.On whether the smoke could also have a negative effect on patients at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, Bratt said if the wind was blowing in that direction it could most certainly affect the elderly.
He directed the T&T Guardian to a Web site www.environment.ucla.edu/reportcard/article.asp?parentid=1700, which he said he fully endorsed.It was a report from the University of California, Los Angeles' Institute of Environment and Sustainability which headlined air pollution impacts on infants and children.
It said the time between conception and birth was one of the most vulnerable life stages, during which the environment might have tremendous, immediate and lasting effects on health as the fetus underwent rapid growth and organ development and the maternal environment helped direct these processes, for better or for worse.
"Evidence is accumulating that environmental exposures can cause infants to be born premature (before 37 weeks of gestation) or low weight (less than 2,500 grams, or 5.5 pounds), or to be born with certain birth defects.
"These babies are far more likely to die in infancy, and those who survive have high risks of brain, respiratory, and digestive problems in early life. The impact of environmental exposures on fetal development may be far-reaching, as data suggest growth and developmental delays in utero influence, the risk for heart disease and diabetes in adulthood," the report added.
It said early childhood was also a critical period for the continued development and maturation of several biological systems such as the brain, lung, and immune system and air toxics could impair lung function or exacerbate existing conditions, such as asthma."Infants who were born premature may be particularly vulnerable to additional environmental insults, for example, due to immaturity of the lungs at birth," the report said.