2,000 under-five children die daily from air pollution, says UNICEF

Around 2,000 children under the age of five pass away every day as a result of the harmful effects of air pollution, according to Kitty van der Heijden, deputy executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund.

She stated this in response to the recently published report on the State of Global Air and Health Effects Institute, an independent nonprofit research organisation with support from UNICEF, which was made public yesterday.

The study, which provides a thorough analysis of data for air quality and health effects for all nations worldwide in 2021, claims that pollution is currently the second biggest global risk factor for premature death, with air pollution being responsible for 8.1 million deaths worldwide.

It further stated that it was accountable for more than 700,000 child fatalities in 2021, particularly those under the age of five.

The report further revealed that children are uniquely vulnerable to air pollution and the damage can start in the womb with health effects that can last a lifetime.
It went on to say that one in five deaths worldwide have been attributed to early childhood exposure to air pollution, and that children from low-income families are more likely than those from high-income nations to suffer from pneumonia and asthma.

Despite advancements in maternal and child health, nearly 2000 children under the age of five pass away every day from health problems related to air pollution, according to UNICEF Deputy ED Van der Heijden.

"The next generation is suffering long-term consequences to their health and well-being due to our inaction. The urgency is clear on a global scale. To minimise air pollution and safeguard children's health, it is crucial that businesses and governments take into account these estimates and locally accessible data.

UNICEF also reported that in East, West, Central, and Southern Africa, the death rate from air pollution among children under five is 100 times higher than in high-income nations.

Air pollution is the second global risk factor for death in children under five, according to the global children's organisation.

The World Health Organisation defines air pollution as any chemical, physical, or biological agent that contaminates an indoor or outdoor environment, altering the atmosphere's natural properties and having an impact on human health.

The environment, other living things, and humans are all deprived of clean air due to air pollution, which is detrimental to human health.

Motor vehicles, home combustion products, industrial facilities, and forest fires are common sources of air pollution.

According to UNICEF, the leading global risk factor for deaths in children under five is malnutrition; the second, third, fourth, and fifth causes of death are air pollution, water pollution, sanitation and hygiene, high or low temperatures, and secondhand smoke.

According to WHO data from 2019, neonatal conditions are Nigeria's leading cause of death per 100,000 population.

The SoGA report estimates the concentration of outdoor fine-particulate matter, or PM2.5, by combining data from satellite observations, global chemical transport models, and air quality monitors in urban and rural areas with the population living in that area and the PM2.5 concentration they are exposed to.

Nigeria's mean annual exposure to PM2.5 was 51.7 in 2019 and 56.5 in 2020. After comparing all exposure means from 1990 to 2010, it was found that, with 77.1 PM2.5, 2015 had the highest exposure mean.

This suggests that Nigeria had a high rate of outdoor air pollution in 2015.

In the meantime, the WHO's 2015 recommended annual level of PM2.5 air quality guidelines was set at five, with a maximum of fifteen days per year.

Additionally, the study found that outdoor fine particulate matter—which is mostly produced by burning biomass and fossil fuels in industries like transportation, residential buildings, and wildfires—was the “most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes around the world” and was responsible for over 90% of air pollution-related deaths worldwide.

The global decline in human health is also attributed to other pollutants, such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide from traffic exhaust, and household air pollution.

Dr. Elena Craft, President of the Health Effects Institute, commented on the report and said that air pollution has serious negative effects on health.

"We are aware that enhancing both global public health and air quality is feasible and doable," she stated.

Notwithstanding the numbers, the SoGA report also shows that since 2000, there has been a 53% decrease in the death rate associated with children under five. This can be attributed to initiatives to increase access to clean energy for cooking, enhance healthcare and nutrition, and raise public awareness of the dangers of indoor air pollution.

"Many nations, especially those with the worst air pollution, are at last addressing the issue head-on. Measures to improve air quality in Asia, Latin America, and Africa include installing air pollution monitoring networks, implementing stricter air quality policies, or offsetting traffic-related air pollution by moving to hybrid or electric vehicles, are all having measurable impacts on pollution and improving public health.
"Efforts are being evaluated to track progress, but more needs to be done to prevent air pollution from surpassing other health hazards as the greatest threat to millions of lives," the report stated.