Health Diaries » Child and Teen Health » January 2007

January 26, 2007

Children Living Near Freeways Risk Poor Lung Development

According to a report in the latest online edition of the Lancet, children who grow up near freeways and a large amount of car and truck exhaust not only have higher rates of asthma, but they may also suffer from underdeveloped lungs.

"Exposure from tailpipe emissions from motor vehicles potentially carries chronic health risks to children's lung development," said lead researcher W. James Gauderman, an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. "We found that kids who live closer to freeways had significantly less lung capacity, compared with kids who lived further from freeways."

Living Near Freeways Hurts Kids' Lungs

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January 12, 2007

Cold Medicine a Risk for Kids Under Two

1,519 children under the age of two were taken to emergency rooms in 2004-2005 because of side effects from cold and cough medications, and three children under 6 months died.

Dr. Michael Marcus, director of pediatric pulmonology, allergy and immunology at Maimonides Infants and Children's Hospital in New York, said: "The best thing (parents) can do is support with fluids and lots of kisses and time, because lots of infections are viral and will pass in a few days. The medications have a greater potential for harm than the infections you are trying to treat."

Cold medicine may be fatal for babies

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