Children's environmental health

21 February 2018

A safe, healthy and protective environment is key to ensuring all children grow and develop normally and healthily. In 2015, reducing environmental risks could have prevented more than a quarter of the 5.9 million deaths of children under 5 years.

Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, hazardous chemicals, climate change, and inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.

In March 2017, WHO published the second edition of Inheriting a sustainable world: The atlas on children’s health and the environment, which outlines the impact of the environment on children’s health and recommends solutions for preventing diseases and deaths in the future.

Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment

WHO/D. Rodriguez

More than 1 in 4 child deaths could be prevented by cleaning up the environment

Every year, environmental risks such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, and unsafe water and sanitation take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years – 26% of child deaths.

WHO/A. Kari

Asthma prevalence in children is increasing worldwide

Worldwide, 11-14% of children aged 5 years and older currently report asthma symptoms. Many of these symptoms are related to indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand tobacco smoke, pollens and indoor mould and dampness.

UNICEF/Kambler

Air pollution is the greatest environment risk to children’s health

Every year, more than 570 000 children under 5 years die from respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, linked to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand tobacco smoke.

WHO/Y. Shimizu

Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent 361 000 child deaths from diarrhoea

Diarrhoeal diseases are among the main causes of deaths for children under 5 years. Every year, 361 000 children under 5 years die from diarrhoea, which could be prevented by improved access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, and ending open defecation.

WHO/B. Chandra

Acute childhood poisoning from pesticides can be life-threatening

Chemical pesticides are widely used to protect crops and control certain disease vectors, such as mosquitoes, to remove vegetation in public areas and control pests in homes. Unsafe use, storage and disposal of pesticides are the main causes of acute poisoning among children.

WHO/Spitz

Malaria caused more than 300 000 deaths in children under 5 in 2015

Malaria, the most important vector-borne disease globally, is transmitted by the bites of infected <i>Anopheles</i> mosquitoes, which prefer clean, standing, or slowly moving fresh water. Better environmental management of these water bodies could help prevent the more than 300 000 deaths in children under 5 years.

WHO/Y. Shimizu

Lead is one of the most harmful chemicals, especially to young children

Young children are most vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead and can suffer profound and permanent adverse health effects, particularly on the development of the brain and nervous system. Since young children spend relatively large amounts of time on the ground and frequently put their fingers and other objects in their mouths they have an increased risk of lead exposure.

WHO/D. Rodriguez

Unintentional poisonings cause an estimated 23 000 deaths in children under 5 every year

It is important to protect children from poisons. They are particularly vulnerable to poisons because of their smaller size and less developed physiology and because they like to explore and often put items in their mouth. Common poisons include toxic household chemicals (cleaning products, weed and insect killers), medicines, petrol, kerosene, solvents, seeds, berries, mushrooms as well as venom from snakes and spiders.

WHO/J. Holmes

Early exposure to environmental risks contributes to childhood cancers

While much about the origin of childhood cancers remains unknown, environmental risks such as solar and ionizing radiation, second-hand tobacco smoke, aflatoxins, and some pesticides, to name a few, contribute to childhood cancers and continues to impact cancer development later in life.

Climate change increases the risk of disease, especially for children in developing countries

Climate change is one of the greatest new threats to children’s environmental health. Higher temperatures and higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide favouring pollen growth are associated with increased rates of asthma. Disruption to fresh water supplies and food crop harvests will exacerbate malnutrition and stunting. More frequent heat waves will put children at risk of heat stress, renal disease and respiratory illness.