Study on Children Asthma and Traffic-related pollution

January 8, 2022

As per new study on Children Asthma, traffic-related air pollutants accounts for around 2 million new cases of paediatric asthma, from Mumbai to Los Angeles.

Highlights

Asthma is a chronic illness, causing inflammation of the lung’s airways.
Researchers studied ground concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a pollutant coming from tailpipe vehicle emissions, industrial sites and power plants. They tracked new cases of asthma in children from 2000 to 2019 across 13,000 cities.

Key Findings of the report

As per study, nitrogen dioxide puts children at risk of developing asthma. This problem is especially acute in urban areas.
Study suggest that clean air must be a critical part of strategies that are aimed at keeping children healthy.
Out of 1.85 million new paediatric asthma cases due to NO2 globally in 2019, two-thirds were from urban areas.
Despite the improvements in air quality in Europe and the US, dirty air or NO2 pollution, has been rising in South Asia, Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Paediatric asthma cases, associated with the NO2 pollution, represent a large public health burden for Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Number of deaths

As per study, in 2019 alone, 1.8 million excess deaths can be linked to urban air pollution.

Exposure Level

86 per cent of adults and children in cities worldwide are exposed to a level of fine particulate matter, which exceeds the guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.

Way Ahead

Reduction in fossil fuel-powered transportation can help adults and children breathe easier and lead to fewer cases of paediatric asthma & deaths. It will also help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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