Effect Of Air Pollution On Academic Performance

Air is essential for life – but in some cases, it can actually hinder health in many ways. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), one third of stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease deaths can be attributed to air pollution. Because of the microscopic size of pollutants in the air, our body’s defense systems cannot stop them in their tracks like they can with other types of invaders. They slip past and set up shop deep in the respiratory and circulatory systems – and this is where heart, lung, and brain damage comes in.

Unfortunately, breathing polluted air can be unavoidable, especially in places like California where the air quality is the worst in the country. Air pollution doesn’t just end up causing issues as people get older, either. Children are not immune to the effects of it, and it can even end up causing problems with their academic performance. But what is air pollution, exactly? And how does air pollution affect learning?

Read on to learn all you need to know about the effect of air pollution on academic performance.

What is air pollution?
Air pollution is the term used to describe pollutants that have been released into the air. WHO has guideline limits for how much air pollution is safe – but roughly 90% of people across the globe are breathing in air whose pollution levels exceed these limits. The majority of air pollution comes from energy use and production, which means that the power plants that give you electricity and the industrial facilities that produce the things you need to live are the top culprits of air pollution.

Fossil fuels are a large source as well. When they are burned, smoke is released into the air. Within it is gas and chemicals that turn into pollutants, which could end up potentially harming you and your health. Air quality is also continuing to worsen because of climate change. Many environmental agencies are working towards curbing air pollution and the climate changes that can affect it; however, it can still be damaging to your health and the health of your children, as well as their intellectual development and performance.

How does pollution affect intellectual development?
Children are more susceptible to the health risks of air pollution because their immune systems are not yet strengthened fully. Children also breathe more rapidly than adults, which leads to the absorption of more pollutants. Infants in the womb can also have their immune systems damaged by air pollution that their mother breathes in, essentially impeding their cognitive development before they are even born.

Once a child is born, exposure to air pollutants can affect their neurodevelopment. Where cognition is concerned, this exposure often leads to lower test outcomes. Reports from WHO have also found a link between air pollution and the development of behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Countless studies have found that children who live in heavily polluted areas often perform at lower levels than those who live near cleaner air. One particular study found that this is because of the way the pollution alters the structure of the part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex has a heavy role in impulse control, and according to the study, having a worsened ability to control impulses between the ages of six and 10 has a direct negative effect on academic achievement. 

How does air quality impact student health and academic performance?
According to WHO, over 600,000 children died in 2016 from lower respiratory infections caused directly by breathing in polluted air. This alarming statistic just goes to show that air pollution has severe consequences on the health of children. Air pollution can also increase the risk of children developing asthma and childhood cancer. Breathing in unclean air as a child has also been associated with a heightened risk for heart disease upon reaching adulthood.

It isn’t just outside air pollution, but indoor air quality that can also have an effect on children’s health and academic performance. Indoor pollution in schools is caused by a variety of factors such as overcrowding in classrooms. One study examined the indoor air quality at schools and measured it against students’ academic abilities. The cognitive results from being stuck in a classroom with too many people and breathing indoor air pollution include poor memory, an inability to concentrate, blurred vision, and even panic attacks.

How does air pollution affect college students?
Although air pollution can be harder on younger minds, college students are not free from the damage that it can cause. If students have been breathing in the less than adequate air for their entire lives, their academic performance is already hindered. This is because the effects of low air quality on the brain do not go away as a person ages. In fact, overall health is closely linked to brain function as a person ages.

There is no getting around the fact that air pollution and poor air quality affect the cognitive development and academic performance of students of all ages. The link between poor brain health and air pollution has been studied intensively, but only recently have people begun to seriously address the severe detrimental effects that air pollution has on brain health and cognitive function.

 

Featured image by Photoholgic on Unsplash