Compounds released into the air as a result of heating closed rooms with carbon can disrupt the early development and growth of children, warn scientists from the USA and the Czech Republic in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
The authors of the study found that children living in houses where coal is the main source of energy (for heating and cooking), at the age of 3 are on average 1,3 cm lower compared to children living in households where other energy sources are used. . The use of wood was not associated with growth disorders in toddlers at this age.
As emphasized by scientists, previous studies have shown that inhaling the compounds emitted during the burning of coal and wood by pregnant women is harmful. The discovery that disorders also occur in the first three years of life is new.
A total of 1 children of both sexes were included in the study. Their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire on their medical history, lifestyle, including smoking and drinking alcohol – participants were polled twice – at birth and after three years.
The questionnaire also included questions about the use of different energy sources for heating and cooking in homes, possible answers for heat sources included central heating, gas (stove installed inside or outside the house), coal stove (inside or outside), electric heating and a fired stove wood. Likewise, for cooking, possible answers included gas, propane, electric cookers, and coal, among others.
Based on the responses of respondents, scientists calculated that more than 10 percent. of households used coal for heating and cooking, and 6,8 percent. used wood for this purpose. After adjusting for other factors, the use of coal in confined spaces was associated with a reduction in the height of 3-year-old children.
As the researchers conclude, coal smoke contains, inter alia, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which also affect the activity of some growth factors. Slowing growth, especially in the early stages of life, is often an indicator of poor health and increased susceptibility to a variety of diseases. (PAP)