WHO Report: A Quarter of Childhood Deaths are Due to Environmental Pollution

Another accelerating problem. Seems we have a choice: Early death from pollution, or a lifetime of pollution-caused chronic disease.

WHO Report: A Quarter of Childhood Deaths are Due to Environmental Pollution

According to the World Health Organization, a quarter of all global deaths of children below five years old are caused by polluted environments.

“A polluted environment is a deadly one — particularly for young children. Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” said WHO director-general Margaret Chan in a statement.

Going further into detail in the Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment report, WHO’s staggering statistics illustrate how much a rapidly deteriorating environment impacts children’s lives:

....

a reply to: soficrow

Funny - I thought those deaths were ascribed to exposure to second hand smoke. I guess the lesson is to never let a body (or a crisis) go to waste.

Keywords are "global deaths". Maybe if WHO and dems care so much about these kids dying they should educate the populace who live in these places that don't take care of their environment like the USA?

originally posted by: GAB4754
Keywords are "global deaths". Maybe if WHO and dems care so much about these kids dying they should educate the populace who live in these places that don't take care of their environment like the USA?

The effects of pollution on kids are so extreme that pediatricians are trained to recognize the symptoms.

According to the CIA's World Fact book, the USA's infant mortality rate is 5.80 per 1000 for 2016. This rate is down from the previous 'score' of 6.2 per 1000 births.

Point being, The US is not doing so well protecting it's children compared to other developed countries, like Cuba, Croatia and Japan for example.

2006. The effects of air pollution on the health of children

The present article is intended to inform paediatricians about the associations between ambient air pollution and adverse health outcomes in children within the context of current epidemiological evidence.

...An interest in the study of the adverse health effects of ambient air pollution in children has been evident in the scientific literature in recent years. The Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement in 2004 emphasizing the link between ambient air pollution and children’s health (1). Children are known to be more vulnerable to the adverse health effects of air pollution due to their higher minute ventilation, immature immune system, involvement in vigorous activities, the longer periods of time they spend outdoors (2,3) and the continuing development of their lungs during the early postneonatal period (2,4).

...Mortality outcomes

Ambient air pollution has been linked to increased mortality in children (8) and adults (9). Sudden infant death syndrome, a leading cause of postneonatal mortality in Canada (10) and other developed countries (11), has been associated with exposure to criteria air pollutants (12). In a systematic review of the literature on the association between ambient air pollution and infant mortality, Glinianaia et al (7) observed a consistent and significant association between PM and postneonatal mortality due to respiratory causes, as well as sudden infant death syndrome. Other studies have reported a significant relationship between ambient air levels of criteria air pollutants and mortality in children younger than five years of age (13).

Adverse pregnancy outcomes

Increased risk of birth defects

Adverse respiratory heath outcomes

School absenteeism

Altered immunity

Increased risk of vitamin D-deficiency rickets

CONCLUSIONS
Significant morbidity and mortality in children is attributed to ambient air pollution at great economic cost to society. As our cities grow and our population increases, we need to be aware of air pollution and its effects on children. Further studies are needed in Canada to improve our understanding of air pollution on the health of children to aide policy-makers in decisions that relate to the sustainability of development.

Consideration needs to be given to emerging science on nonregulated pollutants that may be affecting the health of children today and may also be endangering future generations by affecting genetic material. Local data from different environments across Canada will help paediatricians in their roles as clinicians, educators and advocates. Significant research opportunity needs to be created to collect these data. This challenge needs to be addressed if we are to protect the health of children in the coming generations.

California is getting hit by the pollution coming from China, China does not have the environmental regulations we have here. I feel sorry for their people there. We need to produce some more of our stuff here where environmental air quality is more stringent and also quit making stuff we do not need and make the stuff to last longer so we do not have to be replacing stuff so often.

It is not a small amount of pollution that is hitting our west coast either.

Good thread Sofi

a reply to: rickymouse

China is shaping up to be a world leader on climate change

...China has come so far so fast that many people are unaware of how much progress it has made, from investing in renewable energy to tackling air pollution. It still faces significant adjustment challenges, particularly around reducing coal consumption, but it is displaying the commitment and creativity needed to tackle this urgent and complex challenge. China has recognised not only the grave risks of unmanaged climate change, to which it is very vulnerable, but also the great attractions of an alternative path for growth which is cleaner, more efficient, innovative and dynamic.

originally posted by: soficrow
a reply to: rickymouse

China is shaping up to be a world leader on climate change

...China has come so far so fast that many people are unaware of how much progress it has made, from investing in renewable energy to tackling air pollution. It still faces significant adjustment challenges, particularly around reducing coal consumption, but it is displaying the commitment and creativity needed to tackle this urgent and complex challenge. China has recognised not only the grave risks of unmanaged climate change, to which it is very vulnerable, but also the great attractions of an alternative path for growth which is cleaner, more efficient, innovative and dynamic.

China is doing this because their people can't breath the air and because of their huge industry it is polluting their water. China should not be hurting their people just so they can produce everything people around the world want cheap. It is the sheer number of factories there in areas that is the problem, even if emissions are reduced to half it will not help. We need to spread out the pollution while still trying to reduce it. The vast majority of China's factories are still pushing out way more than American factories. Just because China is reducing their carbon footprint means nothing. The toxins coming from their operations are not carbon most times, they are much worse than carbon. The whole world being steered to only look at carbon is a deception, toxic chemistry is most important, it kills a lot of the life on our planet.

The only reason I don't like the Global warming policy is because they are trying to focus our attention on one thing, it is to distract us from looking at polution that is concentrated. Like the bad effect that corn gas is causing to our environment. Carbon dioxide is not the main air polution that is bad for kids, actually the emmissions from a good environmentally friendly coal plant is not a concern. Look at the stacks of a modern coal plant with their chimney technology, they do not emit much polution most times. Look at the areas where they produce the panels for the solar systems, the creation of these things causes much polution, even processing the rare earth minerals is very hard on the environment.

We need to fix things right, not chase things that boost economy. Most of the solar panels have a life of less than fifteen years. Then you have to buy new ones. If nothing happens you get your money back within that time including the interest you pay on the panels. That is about it, I know some people who have put in these home grids.