Children's allergies affected by the changing climate

More and more, we are finding the spring pollen season starts earlier.

(KXAN) — It's their time to have fun, to play with their friends. It's a time for them to be happy and relaxed.

This may not be the case for some children whose health is being affected by what is happening to our climate.

There are some parts of the country (and the world) where, in winter, a child spends more time indoors than outdoors because the temperature is too cold to be outside. Spring comes along and allows youngsters to get out there and enjoy themselves.

But, wait. That may not be the case in some locales.

More and more, we are finding the spring pollen season starts earlier. We have seen locally that trees are blooming earlier and earlier, leading to that early start to the dreaded pollen season. Pollen counts taken daily at KXAN showed an early start to ash and oak seasons.

It's also led to some pollen seasons lasting longer. Here at home, this meant that those who suffer from "cedar fever" were still having to deal with it into April.

According to the Center for Children's Environmental Health at Columbia University, some children are coughing, sneezing and sniffling during these increased pollen seasons. It just doesn't have a physical impact on them but a psychological one, as well. They may get frustrated at not being able to venture outdoors. That frustration is exacerbated by not being able to spend that time outdoors with their friends.

All because of pollen seasons starting earlier and lasting longer ... due to climate change.

Most recently, many young ladies and lads had to spend too much time indoors because of the wildfires that gripped Canada. North winds that brought down more than copious amounts of smoke made it nearly impossible for parents to allow their children to spend some time outdoors. There was simply no fresh air to breathe until the winds shifted and carried that choking smoke back to Canada.

What's worse is that some of the children have a justified fear of not wanting to be outside when the sky is, for lack of a better word, ugly from the dust/smoke.

Texas has seen its share of hazy, smoke-filled skies. Part of the blame for this was the recent agriculture burns that happen yearly in Central America and Mexico. On the way is another round of dust that travels from Africa. Fine particulate matter can be debilitating for a child as the particles get ingested into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs.

The eyes, nose, throat and lungs get irritated leading to issues including coughing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, and sneezing. What's worse is that children become more and more susceptible to asthma.

Searing heat is the other thing climate change has created for Texans. Public health experts say that children are more susceptible to heat illness than adults. This can be true of those who compete in athletics as well as those who just want to play outdoors.

Children's bodies have more trouble regulating their temperature than adults. Pediatricians are aware that young children can heat up quickly because they are more active than adults. The issue then becomes that they are less likely to be aware of getting overheated. This leads to them not being able to sweat as much as adults. So, the lack of sweat translates to a lack of cooling.

What we have in Texas is that air quality that is compromised with pollutants combined with extreme heat is just a small part of what the children can face.

Children are dependent on others to survive in the situations described above. They need help from their parents, according to Professor Frederica Perera. She has written a book entitled "Children's Health and the Peril of Climate Change" Professor Perera believes parental involvement is as simple as letting their child know when to hydrate, making sure that, when temperatures are hot, to cool down, to dress appropriately, and to not venture outdoors when clean air is compromised because of smoke from wildfires or the dust plumes from the Sahara.

As climate change continues to prevail in our world it's becoming more and more necessary for parents to keep their children safe from its grip. Because we know a few things. We know that pollen seasons are going to continue to start sooner and last longer. We are aware that, at times, our pristine Texas skies, are littered with dust particles and other fine particulate matter that can lead to a feeling of malaise.

This is also a reason that some young children, and even older children, are advancing the need for all of us to take better care of this Earth.