According to World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills 7 million people every year and is the main driver of climate change.

Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at greater risk for Vitamin D deficiency later in life.

Children have the right to have healthy future

Air pollution is a chief factor determining the amount of solar UVB that reaches the earth's surface. Thus, atmospheric pollution may play a significant independent role in the development of vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D

Babies need vitamin D for healthy growth and development. It helps them build strong bones and teeth.

Babies who don’t get enough vitamin D are said to have “vitamin D deficiency”. If the vitamin D levels are low enough, babies are at risk of rickets, a disease that affects the way bones grow and develop.

You can make sure your baby has enough vitamin D by giving them a daily supplement.

How do we get vitamin D?

Sunlight        Foods        Vitamin supplement

How do I know if my baby is at risk of vitamin D deficiency?

How do I measure the vitamin D levels of my baby?

By Vitamin D Tests

What is it used for?      

A vitamin D test is used to screen for or monitor bone disorders. It is also sometimes used to check vitamin D levels in people with chronic illnesses such as asthma, psoriasis, and certain autoimmune diseases.

       

When to see a doctor?

Take your child to the GP if they show any symptoms of low vitamin D or low calcium. Children who are at risk of low vitamin D should have a blood test three months after beginning to take supplements, to check their vitamin D level.

Health Care Providing Company Xiamen Biotime Biotechnology Co., Ltd offers 25(OH)-D Rapid Quantitative tests as Monitoring vitamin D deficiency & supplementation therapy

It is useful to check for association with vitamin D when abnormal calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels are observed in a patient. In addition, when starting drug treatment for bone disease, bone weakness, or osteoporosis, it is useful for diagnosis and monitoring of vitamin D prescription treatment through periodic quantification of vitamin D.

References

1. Glerup H, Mikkelsen K, Poulsen L, Hass E, Overbeck S, Thomsen J, Charles P, Eriksen EF: Commonly recommended daily intake of vitamin D is not sufficient if sunlight exposure is limited. J Intern Med 2000, 247(2):260-8.

2. Chen TC, Chimeh F, Lu Z, Mathieu J, Person KS, Zhang A, Kohn N, Martinello S, Berkowitz R, Holick MF: Factors that influence the cutaneous synthesis and dietary sources of vitamin D. Arch Biochem Biophys 2007, 460(2):213-7.

3. Brustad M, Alsaker E, Engelsen O, Aksnes L, Lund E: Vitamin D status of middle-aged women at 65-71 degrees N in relation to dietary intake and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Public Health Nutr 2004, 7(2):327-35.

4. Cranney A, Horsley T, O’Donnell S, Weiler H, Puil L, Ooi D, Atkinson S, Ward L, Moher D, Hanley D, Fang M, Yazdi F, Garritty C, Sampson M, Barrowman N, Tsertsvadze A, Mamaladze V: Effectiveness and safety of vitamin D in relation to bone health. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep) 2007, 158:1-235.

5. Allali F, El Aichaoui S, Saoud B, Maaroufi H, Abouqal R, Hajjaj-Hassouni N: The impact of clothing style on bone mineral density among post menopausal women in Morocco: a case-control study. BMC Public Health 2006, 6:135

6. Hossein-nezhad A, Holick MF (2013) Vitamin D for health: a global perspective. Mayo Clin Proc 88:720–755

7. Hosseinpanah F, Sima H, Heibatollahi M, Moghbel N, Asefzade S, Azizi F (2010a) The effects of air pollution on vitamin D status in healthy women: a cross sectional study. BMC Public Health 10:519

8. Please cite this article in press as: C. Palacios, L. Gonzalez, Is vitamin D deficiency a major global public health problem? J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. (2013)

9. Stein J, Schettler T, Wallinga D, Valenti M (2002) In harm’s way: toxic threats to child development. J Dev Behav Pediatr 23: S13–S22

10. Canadian Paediatric Society Vitamin D