Pollution-related illnesses caused the death of close to 600,000 children (up to 15 years old) worldwide in 2016 according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report published on October 29th. In Brazil, the number of deaths of children aged up to 15 years of age totalled 693.

Throughout the world, close to 93% of all children – that is, 1.8 billion – are exposed to pollution levels that are higher than the recommended daily amount. Asia, Africa, and Latin America are the most affected regions.

According to the WHO document, contaminated air may lead to allergies, pneumonia, asthma, damage to the development of the brain and motor skills, ear infections, obesity, or cancer in children. As they grow, children can develop cardiovascular diseases which affect the heart and blood vessels.

The WHO also states that children are more exposed to the effects of pollution than adults because they breathe faster, thus taking in a higher amount of pollutants, and because they are closer to the ground where the contamination is concentrated. Also, their immune system – the body’s ability to fight diseases –  and their bodies are still developing.

“Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives,” said doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the general director of the WHO. “This is unforgivable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfill their potential,” he said.

Less Pollution

The WHO has recommended measures to prevent air pollution and to help protect from it. Check it out:

Personal actions
– Using less polluting fuels to cook, light, or heat the house – a good idea would be to replace coal with gas, for example.
– Avoid smoking.

Group actions
– Schools, squares, and parks should be located far from roads, factories and power plants.
– Using clean fuels and limiting polluting emissions should be encouraged.

QUESTIONS

1) According to the article, which initiatives help decrease pollution?
a) Using cars with any kind of fuel
b) Smoking
c) Using less polluting fuels at home
d) Never riding bicycles

2) What do you do daily to avoid polluting the Earth?

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