WHO: Pollution causes 1.7 million child deaths a year
More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments, according to two new World Health Organization (WHO) reports, which note that indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene take the lives of 1.7 million children under the age of 5.
Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment reveals that a large portion of the most common causes of death among children aged 1 month to 5 years – diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia – are preventable by interventions known to reduce environmental risks, such as access to safe water and clean cooking fuels.