Dirty air now the second largest health risk to young children
The Guardian|June 19, 2024
Nearly 2,000 children under five are dying every day from air pollution, which has overtaken poor sanitation and a lack of clean water to become the second biggest health risk factor for young children around the world.
Fiona Harvey
Dirty air now the second largest health risk to young children

More than 8 million deaths of children and adults were caused by air pollution in 2021, according to a study from the Health Effects Institute (HEI), as outdoor and indoor pollution continue to take an increasing toll on health.

Dirty air is now the second biggest killer globally, overtaking tobacco use, and is second only to high blood pressure as a risk factor for death among the general population. Among children under five, air pollution is second only to malnutrition as a risk factor in mortality.

This year's State of Global Air report, published by HEI since 2017 and produced this year in partnership with Unicef, also showed that children in poor countries are suffering some of the worst impacts, with the death rate linked to air pollution in children under five 100 times higher in most of Africa than it is in highincome countries.

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