The interplay between environmental exposures and COVID-19 risks in the health of children.
Peter D SlyBrittany A TrottierCatherine M BulkaStephania A CormierJulius FobilRebecca C FryKyoung-Woong KimSteven KleebergerPushpam KumarPhilip J LandriganKarin C Lodrop CarlsenAntonio PascaleFernando PolackMathuros RuchirawatHeather J ZarWilliam A SukPublished in: Environmental health : a global access science source (2021)
A concerted research effort by a multidisciplinary team of scientists is needed to understand the links between environmental exposures, especially air pollution and COVID-19. We call for specific research funding to encourage basic and clinical research to understand if/why exposure to environmental factors is associated with more severe disease, why children appear to be protected, and how innate immune responses may be involved. Lessons learned about SARS-Cov-2 infection in our children will help us to understand and reduce disease severity in adults, the opposite of the usual scenario.