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Air pollution can trigger asthma and childhood cancers, WHO report says
Nearly 1.8 billion children around the world are exposed to toxic air, a United Nation's health agency has said.
A new World Health Organisation (WHO) report released yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, shows that around 93 per cent of the world’s children under the age of 15 years breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk.
WHO estimates that 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air in 2016 alone, and the number could be higher for 2017 and 2018.
The report, titled Air Pollution and Child Health: Prescribing Clean Air, was released during WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, and it examines the heavy toll of both outside and household air pollution on the health of the world’s children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
The report 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.
It shows that air pollution also impacts neuro-development and cognitive ability, and can trigger asthma and childhood cancer. The report further shows that 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. This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfil their full potential,” said WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus.
Absorb pollutants
Dr Tedros said 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,” he said.
The report shows that 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 and affecting their health in more ways than we suspected. But there are many straight-forward ways to reduce emissions of dangerous pollutants ,” said Maria Neira, Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at WHO.
Dr Maria said WHO is supporting the 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 said.
Maria added that the conference would provide the opportunity for world leaders to commit to act against the health threat, which shortens the lives of around seven million people each year.
Some of the actions expected out of the meeting include action by the health sector to inform, educate, provide resources to health professionals, and engage in inter-sectoral policy making.
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