Children have a right to clean air, and we must fight for it to become a reality

“Legally binding targets based on WHO guidelines would reduce the number of deaths from air pollution in the UK.”1 This was the clear conclusion from the coroner following the death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in 2013 following an asthma attack. Ella was the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.2 As paediatricians we are committed to learning from this very tragic example—no other child in the UK should be allowed to suffer the way that Ella did.In the UK, air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health. Children are especially vulnerable to air pollution, which can lead to asthma in childhood, and lifelong health issues. Exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy and early childhood can have harmful and irreversible effects on the development of the lungs and other organs, with potential long term health effects such as COPD well into…
Read Original Article: Children have a right to clean air, and we must fight for it to become a reality »