Air pollution particularly harmful for kids, say WHO, Unicef: All you need to know

India, with a rank of 168, fared worse than its neighbours, according to 12th biennial Environmental Performance Index (EPI).

Several cities across the country are currently battling severe deterioration in air quality. While air pollution, in general, is hazardous to health, it is particularly harmful for children, Livehindustan, Hindustan Times' sister publication, has reported citing international bodies such as World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef. According to the two organisations, pollutants attack kids the most as their bodies are yet to fully develop.

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Here's all you need to know:

(1.) According to WHO, the lungs of a child, who is living in a region where air pollution is quite severe, may not function properly by the time he attains adulthood. Due to weak lungs, such children, when they grow up, are likely to develop asthma. A 2018 report of the global health body said that around 93 per cent children, who are under the age of 15, years breathe toxic air.

 

(2.) Meanwhile, Unicef, citing one of its recent reports, has said that kids take in polluted particles two to three times more than those taken in by adults. This, as per the agency, is because the former breather faster than the latter. An adult breathes 12 to 18 times in a minute, while kids, in the same time, breathe 20 to 30 times. The pace is even faster among infants, who breathe 30 to 40 times in 60 seconds, it said. Also, according to Unicef, around 130,000 children die every year in south Asia, including India, due to toxic air.

(3.) Particulate Matter (PM), of the size of 2.5 macrons, are among smaller air pollutants which can enter a child's body, and affect organs such as lungs, eyes and brain.

 

(4.) Statistics from Greenpeace, an environmental organisation, show that in 2020, there were around 57,000 untimely deaths in Delhi which can be attributed to pollution in the air. Separately, a WHO report shows that the concentration of PM2.5 in India's air is five times more than what is acceptable.

(5.) India (168) fared worse than its neighbours Sri Lanka (109), Pakistan (142), Nepal (145) and Bangladesh (162), all of whom have a better air quality, the 12th biennial Environmental Performance Index (EPI) showed. A total of 180 countries featured on the list.

(6.) The United States (24), Israel (29), Russia (58), Saudi Arabia (90) and China (120) also performed better than India.