Air pollution is the second leading factor for death among children under five in 2021, after malnu­trition, says a 2024 State of Global Air report.

The report linked it to a total of 709,000 deaths globally, representing 15 per cent of all under five deaths in children.

The report was produced by the State of Global Air Initiative, a collab­oration between the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

According to the report, air pollu­tion threatens children’s health and is the biggest environmental health risk factor.

It said, more than 70 per cent of these deaths were linked to house­hold air pollution due to cooking with polluting fuels.

“Some major causes of air pollution harming children’s health includes air pollution from household, waste –related, traffic related, landscape fires like wildfires, secondhand smoke and dust and sand storms,” the report said.

According to the report, children were physically more exposed to the menace due to the fact that, young children breathe more rapidly than adults and take in more air relative to their body.

Also, it said children often spend more time outdoors and breathe air that is closer to the ground, which put them in closer proximity to sources of pollution like dust and vehicle ex­haust.

The report also mentioned that children were physiologically more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because their brains, lungs and other are still developing, adding that some air pollutants can cross the placenta and affect developing babies.

“Air pollution negatively affects many systems in children’s bodies, causing morbidity and mortality in the youngest of children, including neo­nates,” it added.

The report said, children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at greater risk of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease later in life.

The report advised parents, care­givers to reduce time spent in areas where pollution was high, such as near or around areas of severe traffic congestion or sources of industrial congestion.

It also advised that children avoid strenuous activity, saying play and exercise should be minimized, par­ticularly if children have pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or other respiratory infections.

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu