Environment and Public Health: How the Environment Affects Children's Health and Quality of Life.

The most well-known health effects of environmental degradation are related to air pollution, water quality, diet, poor sanitation, and hazardous chemicals. Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk today. It affects the most vulnerable populations and is linked to heart diseases, strokes, lung diseases, lung cancer, and other organ diseases. Also, it affects neurodevelopment and cognitive abilities in children, can trigger childhood asthma and cancer, and can lead to chronic diseases such as heart attacks later in their lives. Indoor air pollution and the combustion of solid fuels lead to a large number of premature deaths from diseases caused by dangerous inhaled particles, especially in children. In addition, improper collection of waste that pollutes the soil, water, and atmosphere has been shown to be directly linked to public health, so the development and implementation of new waste management methods are imperative. With this work, we emphasize that children, in particular, have lifelong impacts on their health, educational prospects, and quality of life from air pollution and environmental degradation, and therefore monitoring, evaluation, and special planning for their health and well-being are required. The information gap needs to be immediately filled by raising awareness in society through educational programs in schools, the community, and the media, as well as by immediately implementing corresponding policies to achieve these goals.