More than 90 percent of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day: WHO

A new WHO report on Air pollution and child health: Prescribing clean air examines the heavy toll of both ambient (outside) and household air pollution on the health of the world’s children.

Every day around 93 per cent of the world’s children under the age of 15 years (1.8 billion children) breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk. Tragically, many of them die: WHO estimates that in 2016, 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air.

A new WHO report on Air pollution and child health: Prescribing clean air examines the heavy toll of both ambient (outside) and household air pollution on the health of the world’s children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The report is being launched on the eve of WHO’s first ever Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health.

It reveals that when pregnant women are exposed to polluted air, they are more likely to give birth prematurely, and have small, low birth-weight children. Air pollution also impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive ability and can trigger asthma, and childhood cancer. Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at greater risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease later in life.

“Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfil their full potential.”

One reason why children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution is that they breathe more rapidly than adults and so absorb more pollutants.

They also live closer to the ground, where some pollutants reach peak concentrations – at a time when their brains and bodies are still developing.

Newborns and young children are also more susceptible to household air pollution in homes that regularly use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting

“Air Pollution is stunting our children’s brains, affecting their health in more ways than we suspected. But there are many straight-forward ways to reduce emissions of dangerous pollutants,” says Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at WHO.

“WHO is supporting implementation of health-wise policy measures like accelerating the switch to clean cooking and heating fuels and technologies, promoting the use of cleaner transport, energy-efficient housing and urban planning. We are preparing the ground for low emission power generation, cleaner, safer industrial technologies and better municipal waste management, ” she added.

Tags : #

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...

-Advertisements-




Trending Now

The Deadly 17: WHO’s Vaccine Priority List to Tackle Life-Threatening InfectionsNovember 09, 2024
Is Your Gut Telling You Something? The Bacterial Clues to Early Rheumatoid ArthritisNovember 09, 2024
Newcastle University Announces VC Excellence Scholarships for Undergraduate and Postgraduate StudiesNovember 08, 2024
Beyond the X-ray: Celebrating the Pioneers of Radiography on World Radiography DayNovember 08, 2024
Digital Doctors and Village Heroes: Tackling Depression and Stigma in India’s HeartlandNovember 08, 2024
Why Are Food Giants Pushing ‘Low-Star’ Nutrition on Low-Income Countries?November 08, 2024
NokAir joins hands with Çelebi for world class ground handling services for newly launched Bangkok-Mumbai routeNovember 07, 2024
Why Are Rare Disease Patients Paying a Fortune When Local Production Could Save Lives?November 07, 2024
Building Lips in the Lab: How Scientists Are Growing Lab Lips to Heal and RebuildNovember 07, 2024
National Cancer Awareness Day: How Small Changes Today Can Save Lives TomorrowNovember 07, 2024
Introducing an AI tool for accurate diagnosis of cholelithiasis on abdominal CT scansNovember 06, 2024
Nat Habit Unveils New Chapter of “Breathe Life Into Your Beauty” Campaign championed by Content Creators and the Launch of VeDHA, digital skin analysis toolNovember 06, 2024
High Level of Pollution Spikes Cardio and Respiratory Problems; Experts Call for Urgent Attention and Action to Mitigate the Risks November 06, 2024
HR leaders ready to shape India's future workforce - XLRI and Leadup Universe seminar in PuneNovember 05, 2024
Nestlé India and SM Sehgal Foundation celebrate 5 years of Project Vriddhi November 05, 2024
Why Tuberculosis Is Still the World’s Leading Killer in 2024 And How We’re Failing to Stop ItNovember 05, 2024
Crompton Launches the Nigella Pro Mixer Grinder to Revolutionize Kitchen ConvenienceNovember 05, 2024
Invisible Shadows: The Growing Crisis of Corneal Blindness in IndiaNovember 05, 2024
Thai AirAsia Entrusts Çelebi India with Ground Handling for New Hyderabad- Bangkok Flights, Signalling Further India Expansion November 05, 2024
Thai AirAsia Entrusts Çelebi India with Ground Handling for New Hyderabad- Bangkok Flights, Signalling Further India Expansion November 05, 2024