According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a quarter of the deaths of children under five years old are attributable to environmental pollution.
Each year, environmental risks -pollution of indoor and outdoor air, passive smoking, unsafe water, insufficient hygiene- kill 1.7 million children under five years old worldwide:
– 570 thousand children die from respiratory infections attributable to air pollution and passive smoking.
– 361 thousand children die from diarrhea due to lack of access to drinking water and hygiene.
A contaminated environment is deadly, especially for the young,”
says Dr. Margaret Chan, Director of WHO.
Children are particularly vulnerable since their organs and immune system are still developing, and their airways are small,”
added the doctor.
According to the WHO, many of the diseases that cause these deaths -malaria, diarrheal diseases or pneumonia- could be avoided.
In addition, climate change raises temperatures and levels of carbon dioxide, which favors pollen production, associated with an increase in asthma in children.