Environmental determinants of respiratory disease in children
Nearly 500,000 children under 5 years of age die every year from pneumonia, mostly in LMICs
Highlights
Respiratory diseases are a leading cause of illness and death among children around the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Nearly 500,000 children under 5 years of age die every year from pneumonia, mostly in LMICs. Air pollution is a major risk factor for childhood respiratory diseases. Common sources of air pollution are household fuel burning (e.g., for cookstoves), transport emissions, waste burning, industrial emissions, wildfires and dust storms/sandstorms. Second-hand tobacco smoke is another source of dangerous air pollution for children.
Many sources of air pollution that are harmful to health also release greenhouse gases that cause global climate change; therefore, many policy solutions for cleaner air also have social and environmental co-benefits. Children deserve to breathe clean air where they live, play and learn. To protect children’s lungs, comprehensive policies that reconsider children’s unique vulnerabilities are urgently needed. Priority areas for reducing childhood respiratory diseases include reducing smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke; ensuring universal access to clean household fuel and cookstoves; enforcing air quality standards; investing in green spaces and improved land/water management systems; developing preparedness systems for communities, schools and childcare centres; and enhancing community engagement efforts.
