2,000 Children Under Five Die Everyday Due To Air Pollution, Study Says

(Photo : Getty Images/Brandon Bell/)

Air pollution has surpassed inadequate sanitation and a lack of clean water to become the second largest health risk factor for young children worldwide, killing about 2,000 of them every day.

Second Leading Risk

According to a new analysis from the Health Effects Institute (HEI), air pollution contributed to almost 8 million adult and pediatric deaths in 2021. The health effects of pollution, both indoors and outdoors, are only getting worse.

The research, which was created for the first time in collaboration with UNICEF, reveals that children under five are particularly at risk for health consequences such as low birth weight, asthma, lung disorders, and premature birth.

After starvation, exposure to air pollution was found to be the second-leading risk factor for death worldwide in 2021, accounting for about 700,000 deaths of children under five. A startling 500,000 of these child fatalities-mostly in Asia and Africa-were attributable to indoor fuel cooking, which causes air pollution in homes.

The report's principal author and head of HEI's global health, Pallavi Pant, drew attention to the enormous disparities the research discovered.

"Far too much of the burden [is] borne by young children, older populations, and low and middle-income countries," she said.

According to the HEI, the consequences of the climate calamity are also degrading air quality. According to the report, when droughts get worse and last longer and the land gets drier, wildfires destroy once-thriving forests and dust storms affect large plains, bringing particles into the air that stay in the air for a long time.

The effects of airborne pollutants like nitrogen oxides, which at high temperatures can more easily convert into ozone, an irritating gas when breathed in, can also be exacerbated by higher summertime temperatures. The study discovered that roughly half a million deaths in 2021 were caused by prolonged exposure to ozone.

PM2.5 Particles

The study suggests that over 90% of air pollution-related deaths worldwide are caused by tiny particles known as PM2.5, which have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. It has been discovered that PM2.5 particles can harm all of the body's organs and enter the bloodstream. They have been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, miscarriage, and lung illness, among other conditions.

According to the paper, elevated levels of PM2.5 pollution are now "the most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes" globally, demonstrating how widespread and harmful the pollution has grown.

Taking action against air pollution may also benefit the climate. A little over 500,000 child fatalities in 2021 were attributed to indoor air pollution, primarily as a result of cooking with unclean fuels such as coal, biomass, charcoal, and paraffin. Emissions of carbon dioxide and PM2.5 might be significantly reduced by switching to cleaner fuels, like solar cookstoves.

There are almost 2.3 billion individuals without access to safe cooking fuels worldwide. According to projections from the International Energy Agency, the problem in sub-Saharan Africa alone will require an annual investment of almost $4 billion between now and 2030. It hosted a worldwide summit last month and raised $2.2 billion for initiatives aimed at assisting the transition of people around the continent to greener practices.

Kitty van der Heijden, deputy executive director of UNICEF, claims that the health and wellness of the future generation are suffering long-term consequences due to our inaction.

"It is imperative that governments and businesses consider these estimates and locally available data and use it to inform meaningful, child-focused action to reduce air pollution and protect children's health," she said.