The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO
More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments, according to a new WHO report. A major cause is smoke due to the use of unclean fuels and inefficient stoves for cooking, which puts children are at an increased risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia. Read the full release and report.
6 MARCH 2017 | GENEVA – More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks – such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene – take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new WHO reports.
[pullquote] The first report, Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment reveals that a large portion of the most common causes of death among children aged 1 month to 5 years – diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia – are preventable by interventions known to reduce environmental risks, such as access to safe water and clean cooking fuels.
“A polluted environment is a deadly one – particularly for young children,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water.”