Air pollution is a silent yet deadly threat that disproportionately impacts the children and the elderly. According to a joint report by the United Nations Environment Programme and UNICEF titled An Agenda for Action: Protecting Children from Seven Deadly Sources of Air Pollution, more than 700,000 children under five die annually from exposure to toxic air. The air they breathe, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is saturated with dangerous pollutants from various sources, including traffic, household emissions, wildfires, and waste burning.
Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable to these pollutants, leading to severe health consequences, from developmental delays to lifelong chronic illnesses. Children are not just smaller versions of adults; their physiological characteristics make them far more susceptible to the harmful effects of air pollution. A child’s lungs, brain, and immune system are still developing, which means exposure to polluted air can have lasting repercussions.
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Vulnerability of children
Some pollutants can cross the placenta during pregnancy, impacting fetal development and contributing to adverse birth outcomes like low birth weight and preterm births. The exposure does not end there. After birth, children inhale more air per kilogram of body weight than adults, increasing their relative intake of harmful pollutants.
For children under five, the consequences of breathing polluted air are grim. Pneumonia, respiratory infections, and asthma are some of the most common health conditions linked to air pollution. The damage, however, goes far beyond immediate health concerns. Air pollution has been linked to cognitive development issues, stunted growth, and even childhood obesity. Without intervention, these children are likely to suffer long-term effects, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and reduced productivity in adulthood.
Seven sources of air pollution
The report identifies seven major sources of air pollution that affect children: household emissions, traffic-related pollution, waste-related pollution, industrial emissions, wildfires, sand and dust storms, and second-hand smoke. Each of these sources plays a distinct yet interrelated role in creating environments where clean air is a luxury, not a right.
Household emissions: In many low-income countries, families rely on biomass, coal, or kerosene for cooking and heating, generating dangerous levels of indoor air pollution. In poorly ventilated homes, children are often exposed to particulate matter at levels 100 times higher than what is considered safe.
Traffic pollution: As urbanisation accelerates, traffic-related emissions have become a significant source of pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. The situation is worse in developing countries, where the number of vehicles is set to quadruple in the coming decades, creating new traffic hotspots that directly affect children living near busy roads.
Waste-related pollution: Improper waste management, including the open burning of household and industrial waste, releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Children living near landfills or agricultural areas where waste is burned are particularly at risk.
Industrial emissions: Factories emitting harmful gases and particulate matter are often located near residential areas in developing countries, further exacerbating the health risks for children. This is particularly alarming given the weak regulatory frameworks in many of these countries.
Wildfires and landscape fires: As climate change intensifies, wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, especially in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. The fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is up to 10 times more harmful to children’s respiratory systems than other sources of PM2.5.
Sand and dust storms: Increasingly common in regions like Africa and the Middle East, these storms contribute to air pollution by releasing fine mineral particulates that can cause respiratory and cardiovascular issues in children.
Second-hand smoke: Tobacco smoke remains a major indoor air pollutant, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. Even short-term exposure to second-hand smoke can cause respiratory infections, asthma, and developmental delays in children.
Urgent need for action
It is unconscionable that every day, approximately 2,000 children die from breathing polluted air. The cost to human life and global productivity is staggering — an estimated $8.1 trillion annually due to illness and death linked to air pollution. Despite this, the global response has been woefully inadequate, especially when it comes to protecting children.
To make a meaningful change, action must be swift, coordinated, and focused on reducing emissions from these seven deadly sources. Governments, civil society, the private sector, and individual caregivers all have critical roles to play.
National governments must prioritise reducing air pollution by setting strict industrial and vehicular emission standards, promoting the use of clean energy technologies, and banning harmful practices like open waste burning. They should also invest in public transport and create low-emission zones, particularly around areas where children live, play, and go to school.
Companies should adopt cleaner technologies and report transparently on their emissions. Private sector investment in green technologies, such as electric vehicles and clean energy infrastructure, can significantly reduce air pollution.
Health systems need to be better prepared to manage the consequences of air pollution. This includes training healthcare workers to recognise air pollution-related illnesses in children and promoting preventive measures, such as the use of air purifiers and well-fitting masks during high-pollution periods.
Civil society organisations must continue to raise awareness about the health impacts of air pollution on children and advocate for stronger regulations. Parents and caregivers can take immediate actions to reduce their children’s exposure, such as using cleaner cooking technologies, avoiding areas with heavy traffic, and ensuring homes are smoke-free.
The science is clear — air pollution is killing our children, and without urgent action, the toll will only increase. The solutions exist, but they require collective commitment and resources. Governments must place children’s health at the forefront of environmental policy decisions. As the UNEP-UNICEF report rightly states, the well-being of our children should guide every choice we make, from energy policy to urban planning. Children have the right to breathe clean air, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this right is upheld, not just in high-income countries but everywhere. Every child deserves a chance to grow up healthy, and it is up to all of us to make that a reality.