Concerning findings on the effects of outdoor air pollution on children’s health and mortality have been brought to light by a recent analysis conducted by the Collaboration for Air Pollution and Health Effect Research (CAPHER) India, a collaboration between IIT Delhi and AIIMS. Released in November 2023, the research highlights the substantial negative impact of air pollution, particularly exposure to PM2.5, on the health of children under five. The report states that in 2019, Delhi had the greatest number of outdoor air pollution-related mortality among children under five, followed by Haryana and Punjab.
Over 1.6 million people died in India in 2019 as a result of using solid fuels for cooking and being exposed to PM2.5 from ambient air pollution. Of these, children under the age of 14 accounted for more than 150,000 deaths. According to the report, air pollution has serious long-term health implications, such as chronic diseases, that last a child’s entire life and is the third biggest risk factor for fatalities in children under five.
Since 2010, child mortality associated with exposure to outdoor PM2.5 have disproportionately affected Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab, with Delhi accounting for almost 20% of all child fatalities. Punjab came in second with about 10% and Haryana little about 15%. Less than 10% of child fatalities in other states, such Uttar Pradesh, were linked to air pollution. Furthermore, air pollution was shown to be the second most important risk factor for fatalities among children in India under the age of 14, accounting for 16% of all deaths in this age group in 2019. Child fatalities from air pollution increased in states like Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, but decreased in places like Goa, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh.
Furthermore, the study discovered that over 10% of child fatalities in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh were attributable to household air pollution (HAP), which is brought on by the usage of solid fuels for cooking. Nonetheless, the frequency of HAP-related deaths has dramatically dropped; in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab, less than 5% of deaths in children under five are attributable to indoor air pollution.
The report’s experts stressed that although determining the precise cause of death is difficult because there are many affecting factors, the results offer enough proof to persuade decision-makers to act. To lessen exposure to dangerous air pollutants, they advise tackling social determinants of health, encouraging cleaner fuels, and including air pollution into health legislation.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
