https://www.unicef.org/stories/air-pollution-threat-childrens-rights
Every child has the right to a safe, clean and healthy environment. It is critical for their growth and development. Breathing unhealthy air puts children and pregnant women at risk for adverse health effects and even death.
As our environment continues to change at alarming rates, we look at what air pollution is, how children are impacted and what steps are needed to protect them.
Children and air pollution
Children are more vulnerable to air pollution
Children’s lungs are in the process of growing and developing, making them especially susceptible to polluted air.
Children breathe twice as quickly as adults and take in more air relative to their body weight. Many young children often breathe through their mouth, which takes in more pollutants. They are also closer to the ground, where some pollutants reach peak concentrations.
Children’s immune systems are weaker than that of adults and their respiratory tracts are more permeable. They’re also at greater risk of viruses, bacteria and other infections during early childhood.
