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How Can Parents Protect Kids From Air Pollution?

As a mom who thinks twice before doing anything that concerns your child, it’s only fitting that your child’s safety is the first thing you think of when you see the news reports on how bad the air is around you. It’s truly devastating to find out that you live in one of the most polluted cities in the world and just breathing in this air could cause so many illnesses.

In the past few years, the air quality around us has reduced so drastically that inhaling it is comparable to smoking 50 cigarettes in a day! The concentration of various air pollutants like particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and so on have increased way beyond the safe levels. These are released into the atmosphere because of vehicle emissions, smoke from the factories, burning of wood and coal, wildfires, smoking, excessive usage of chemicals and so on.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that these contaminants affect your family’s health. If your child’s been wheezing, coughing, stressed, having difficulty breathing, or suffering from any respiratory illnesses, there’s a good chance that it’s a result of air pollution. Studies even link lower IQ levels and behavioural changes among kids with constant exposure to polluted air.

But what can you do to keep your child safe and not let air pollution affect his physical and mental health?

Air masks

Wearing a face mask can help filter out certain bacteria and viruses that are present in the air. When sending your child off to school or while travelling, make sure they stay protected by wearing these air masks. The masks should be N95 (filters out 95% of the particulate matter) or better yet N99 (filters out 99% of the particulate matter) certified. The cheaper versions are usually not tested for filtration so stick to standard ones. If used on a regular basis, these masks need replacement every 6 months.

Dietary changes

The more resistant your child becomes to the air pollutants, the less likely he’ll be affected by them. Foods that contain antioxidants especially ones that are rich in Vitamin A and C are very effective in strengthening your child’s immune system. These include fruits and veggies like lemon, guava, amla, tomato, broccoli, carrots and spinach. A research shows that olive oil can help reduce the harmful effects of air pollution because of its rich antioxidant properties so try and incorporate this into your child’s diet.

Indoor plants

An age-old solution to bad air in the house is to have indoor plants that help purify the air to make it cleaner and healthier. They do this by absorbing the particles present in the air and giving out more oxygen in return. A few plants that are known for keeping the air fresh in closed spaces are ficus, spider plant, aloe vera and tulsi.

Better waste management

Even to this day, few of us practice the habit of burning the waste. This is extremely hazardous for everyone who inhales these fumes. On the other hand, allowing your waste to accumulate for days on end is not a good practice either. Stick to a more eco-friendly and sustainable form of getting rid of garbage.

Air purifiers

You can make your child wear a mask outdoors but the fact still remains that the air inside your house can actually be 10 times more polluted than the outdoors. Since we spend most of our time indoors, making sure the air around us is safe to breathe is essential. That’s where air purifiers come in handy. They remove allergens and tiny particles present in the air, making it healthier and safer for you and your family. We recommend Dr. Aeroguard air purifiers that have a 9-stage filtration process. They are equipped with anti-allergen filter, anti-dust filter, Active-HEPA filters, deodorizer filter and therapeutic filter. The silver ions, diatoms and vitamin-C that is released by these purifiers helps keep the air refreshing. Take a free home demo right now and experience what healthy air feels like. You can get yourself one of these purifiers by clicking here.

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