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SPS Newsletter

An official publication of the Society for Pediatric Sedation

An official publication of the
Society for Pediatric Sedation®

    • President’s Message
      • Culture of Diversity in SPS
    • 2018 Annual Conference Reviews
      • Reviews of Monday Sessions
      • Reviews of Tuesday Sessions
      • Reviews of Wednesday Sessions
    • Literature Review
      • Neuropsychological and Behavioral Outcomes after Exposure of Young Children to Procedures Requiring General Anesthesia: The Mayo Anesthesia Safety in Kids (MASK) Study

Meeting Reviews

Global Health Challenges
Reviewed by Mary Landrigan-Ossar, MD

Presented by Philip Landrigan, MD

Despite an opening slam at the city of Cleveland (Sorry, Drs. Stormorken and Johnson!), keynote speaker Dr. Philip Landrigan gave a well received talk on the worldwide impact of pollution on children’s health.

Pollution, which can come from household sources, the air, soil, water, or occupational toxins, is estimated to kill nine  million people per year worldwide. This is three times the number of deaths attributable to TB, AIDS and malaria combined, and 15 times more than the deaths from all wars, terrorism and other violence. This heavy burden falls disproportionately on low and middle-income countries, and particularly affects the children in these areas.

Children have greater exposure proportional to body mass than adults, a diminished ability to detoxify many chemicals and a heightened biological vulnerability to chemicals which disrupt development. These include lead, alcohol, and diethylstibesterol among others. The effect of pollution on health results in an up to 2% decrease in GDP in low- and middle income countries. Up to 7% of healthcare costs in rapidly developing countries is used for treating the issues attributable to pollution.

The good news is that solutions to these problems exist. In high-income countries progress is being made to decrease pollution by switching to renewable energy, public and active transport, and clean and green technology. Progress is still lacking in low- and middle-income countries, in large part due to a lack of political will and resistance by powerful vested interests. Work is ongoing worldwide to engage UN agencies and government officials, making pollution prevention a priority in all countries and to continue research to quantify the burden of pollution on our societies.

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About SPS News

SPS News is an official publication of the Society for Pediatric Sedation®

SPS News Editor
Carmen D. Sulton, MD

Contributing Authors
Nancy Crego, PhD, RN, CCRN
Benjamin F. Jackson, MD
Sue Kost, MD
Ali Ozcan, MD
Amber Rogers, MD
Anne Stormorken, MD

Share Your News!

Have an interesting story about your sedation team to share? Has your institution recently been recognized for something? We are looking for content for the next issue of SPS News, due out this summer.

Being a contributor is a great way to get involved in the Society. Contact Joye Stewart at the SPS headquarters office.

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