How air pollution is destroying our health - WHO

'Air pollution is hard to escape, no matter how rich an area you live in. It is all around us. Microscopic pollutants in the air can slip past our body’s defences, penetrating deep into our respiratory and circulatory system, damaging our lungs, heart and brain.'

- WHO, How air pollution is destroying our health



'Air pollution from both outdoor and indoor sources represents the single largest environmental risk to health globally.'

- WHO (Source, February 17, 2017)



'Air pollution does not recognize borders. Improving air quality demands sustained and coordinated action at all levels. Countries need to work together on solutions for sustainable transport, more efficient and renewable energy production and use, and waste management.'

- WHO (Source, May 2, 2018)



'This report summarizes the latest scientific knowledge on the links between exposure to air pollution and adverse health effects in children. It is intended to inform and motivate individual and collective action by health care professionals to prevent damage to children’s health from exposure to air pollution. Air pollution is a major environmental health threat. Exposure to fine particles in both the ambient environment and in the household causes about seven million premature deaths each year. Ambient air pollution (AAP) alone imposes enormous costs on the global economy, amounting to more than US$ 5 trillion in total welfare losses in 2013.'

- WHO, Air pollution and child health: prescribing clean air, 2018



'It reveals that when pregnant women are exposed to polluted air, they are more likely to give birth prematurely, and have small, low birth-weight children. Air pollution also impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive ability and can trigger asthma, and childhood cancer. Children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at greater risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease later in life.

“Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfil their full potential.”

One reason why children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution is that they breathe more rapidly than adults and so absorb more pollutants.

They also live closer to the ground, where some pollutants reach peak concentrations – at a time when their brains and bodies are still developing.

Newborns and young children are also more susceptible to household air pollution in homes that regularly use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting

“Air Pollution is stunting our children’s brains, affecting their health in more ways than we suspected. But there are many straight-forward ways to reduce emissions of dangerous pollutants ,” says Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at WHO.'

- WHO, More than 90% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day, October 29, 2018



Context

'A New Scientist review in 2017 concluded that “log-burning stoves are harming our health and speeding up global warming”.'

'..wood burning is the single largest source of hazardous particle pollution during winter, creating even more particle pollution than vehicles and industry.

Residential heating with wood and coal: health impacts and policy options in Europe and North America


(Project C - MDE - Focus Fusion) - LPPFusion - '$956,125 raised from 456 investors..' - New Fusion Industry Alliance Formed