Daily Death of 'Two Thousand Children' Worldwide Due to Air Pollution-Related Diseases

According to the results of a new study, approximately two thousand children die daily worldwide due to diseases related to air pollution, making air pollution the second leading cause of premature death globally. A report by an American non-profit and independent organization called the 'Health Effects Institute,' published on Wednesday, June 30, states that in 2021, air pollution was a factor in the deaths of 8.1 million people, accounting for about 12 percent of all deaths worldwide. Based on these statistics, in recent years, air pollution has surpassed two other deadly factors, namely tobacco use and unhealthy diets, ranking second after high blood pressure. Young children are more affected by air pollution than others, which is a significant factor in their susceptibility to deadly diseases. The 'Health Effects Institute' conducted its research titled 'The State of Global Air' in collaboration with UNICEF. This research indicates that air pollution is responsible for the deaths of over 700,000 children under the age of five, with around 500,000 of these deaths attributed to indoor cooking pollution from fuels such as coal and wood, especially in Africa and Asia. The study adds that nearly all people worldwide breathe unhealthy air with varying degrees of pollution daily, and about 90 percent of mortality cases are linked to airborne particulate matter known as 'PM 2.5.' Previous scientific studies show that inhaling these particles, which are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other illnesses. One of the goals of the 'Health Effects Institute' research is to determine the correlation coefficient of each of these diseases with the level of air pollution. The study did not examine the impact of air pollution on brain health and the deterioration of the nervous system, nor the effects of using solid fuels like coal and wood for heating homes. Another finding of this research is that pollution caused by ozone emissions in breathing air accounts for around 500,000 premature deaths in 2021. Given the global warming due to human activities, this factor of air pollution is likely to worsen. Experts from the 'Health Effects Institute' emphasized that the main way to reduce air pollution is to mitigate global warming, control pollutant gas emissions, and especially reduce the production and consumption of fossil fuels. They stated that under the influence of global warming, short periods of severe air pollution occur more frequently, and increased natural wildfires, extreme heat, and dust storms can lead to higher ozone levels in the air. One of the factors contributing to respiratory air pollution leading to deadly diseases is the use of solid fuels for indoor cooking, which experts say is easier to prevent than other harmful factors. Statistics show that about two billion people worldwide still use this method. China is one of the countries that has been very successful in reducing this unhealthy practice. The new research indicates that largely due to the prevalence of healthier cooking stoves, the number of deaths among children under five due to air pollution has decreased by more than 50 percent since 2000. The International Energy Agency announced in May that governments and private companies worldwide have committed to allocate approximately $2.2 billion to improve access to healthier cooking stoves for people.