Air pollution: a major threat to children’s health worldwide

In 2021 alone, 5,500 children under one year of age died due to air pollution, responsible for around a fifth of infant deaths

Air pollution is one of the gravest health threats facing the world’s population, especially children. In 2021 alone, approximately 5,500 children under the age of one died because of causes related to pollution in a total of 23 countries across Europe and Central Asia.

This shocking statistic emanates from a Policy Brief by UNICEF, which shows that air pollution is responsible for nearly one-fifth of all deaths among infants in these regions. The reason being that pollution levels in major European and Asian cities often exceed the safety thresholds recommended by the World Health Organization, posing a severe health risk to children.

Exposure to pollutants from the time of the fetus to life increases risks of diseases like pneumonia, respiratory infections, asthma, and allergies. Moreover, pollution damages brain development, eliciting brain inflammation and arresting the growth of children.

The majority of over 90% of pollution-related deaths due to fine particulate emissions

The most important pollutant sources are fine particulate emissions, PM2.5 and PM10, from the use of fossil fuels. UNICEF underlines that air pollution is preventable, and it calls on governments to take concrete policies toward reducing air pollution. Policy recommendations: establishment of low-emission zones around schools, nurseries, and health facilities, and air quality monitoring and alert systems in residential areas.

This report, titled The State of Global Air 2024, is prepared by the Health Effects Institute in cooperation with IHME and UNICEF. Air pollution has imposed a disastrous toll upon human health. Some of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lung cancer, and COPD are those tiny particles of PM2.5 that invade the lungs and bloodstream.

According to the report, over 90% of all deaths related to pollution come from these particles originating from environmental and domestic sources. Along with health damage, air pollution feeds into global warming, which is worsening the climate crisis. This critical situation needs a coordinated global effort in pursuit of more sustainable energy and environmentally-friendly policies to save the health of our future generations.