climate change | 1200 deaths annually among children and adolescents due to air pollution

Weather of Arabia - Air pollution causes at least 1,200 premature deaths annually among children and adolescents in Europe. According to the report of the European Environment Agency.

Like adults, this pollution poses the main environmental threat to the health of minors and shortens life expectancy. According to this study, which included about 30 countries on the continent, including the twenty-seven European Union countries.

"Air pollution causes more than 1,200 premature deaths annually among people under the age of 18 in Europe, and significantly increases their risk of disease later in life," the European Environment Agency wrote in its report.

She added, "Despite the progress made in the past years, the level of many major pollutants in the air is still higher than the recommendations of the World Health Organization, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Italy."

The study did not include several European countries, including the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Which indicates that the situation may be worse on the European continent.

According to “French”, another report by the agency, issued in November, stated that no less than 238,000 people of all age groups died early in 2020 in Europe due to air pollution in agency member states such as the European Union, Turkey and Norway. , Switzerland; As well as Iceland and Liechtenstein.

In the study published today, the European Environment Agency is focusing for the first time on people under the age of 18, and recommends focusing on air quality near schools and kindergartens, as well as sports facilities and public transport.

The effects of pollution begin to appear even before childbirth, with pregnant women exposed to air pollution. It manifests itself in low birth weight and premature births.

After birth, pollution increases the possibility of health problems. Among them are asthma, which affects 9% of children and adolescents in Europe, insufficiency of the lungs, and infections of the respiratory tract.