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World Health Organization

The widespread exposure of large numbers of children to heavily polluted air in developing countries has skyrocketed. World Resources Institute 1999

Polluted Cities: The Air Children Breathe

ICELAND

Oulu FINLAND Kuopio NORWAY SWEDEN UNITED KINGDOM Glasgow

DENMARK

Dirty air: the silent killer

Average concentration of small particles (PM10) in outdoor urban air by WHO sub-region 2000 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m3)
RUSSIAN FED.

Helsinki Tallinn
ESTONIA

Gothenburg
LATVIA

over 25 21 25 11 15 no data

Malmo Hamburg Berlin

LITHUANIA

ower plants, factories and vehicles spew out harmful gases and small particles that can penetrate deep into childrens lungs. In strong sunlight, oxides of nitrogen from vehicle exhaust fumes form ozone at ground level, which can trigger asthma attacks. Air pollution does not respect national borders. Heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants are carried by winds, contaminating water and soil far from their origin. In the late 1990s, forest fires, mainly in Indonesia, caused a haze of smoke to hang for months over neighbouring South-East Asian countries. Schools and kindergartens were forced to close, while local hospitals reported large numbers of hazerelated illnesses in young children. The Great London Smog of 1952 focused the worlds attention on the problem of air pollution, and since then there has been a marked improvement in air quality in developed countries. Nevertheless, every year outdoor air pollution is responsible for the death of hundreds of children in Europe, and of more than 24 000 globally. Industrial growth and rapid urbanization aggravate the problem, with the pressure felt most acutely in the megacities of the developing world. Use of cleaner fuels and technologies, refined motor engines, and public transport are crucial in ensuring that children breathe clean air.

Dublin
IRELAND

Leeds Birmingham
NETH.

Brest

Burgos
PORTUGAL

Lodz Wroclaw Brussels GERMANY Prague UKRAINE Krakow BELGIUM LUX. Stuttgart CZECH REP. Brno Kosice SLOVAKIA REP. Bratislava Linz Paris Metz Munich MOLDOVA HUNGARY Graz AUSTRIA Zurich FRANCE SWITZ. ROMANIA SLOVENIA Ljubljana Brescia SERBIA & CROATIA Modena B-H Ruse MONTENEGRO Florence Burgas BULGARIA Toulon Rome ITALY
ALBANIA FYR MACEDONIA

London

Amsterdam Rotterdam

POLAND

Warsaw

BELARUS

16 20

Average concentration of small particles (PM10) in selected European cities 2001 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m3) over 30 21 30 20 and under
PM10 refers to particles less than 10 micrometres in diameter, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause adverse health effects. The European Union standard for 24-hour mean PM10 levels is set at 50 g/m3, not to be exceeded more than 35 days per year.

Guadalajara SPAIN Albacete

Thessaloniki Athens GREECE

Lisbon

Palermo

C A N A D A

MALTA

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

KAZAKHSTAN

see inset

MONGOLIA
GEORGIA TURKEY CYPRUS LEBANON ISRAEL WEST BANK AND GAZA KYRGYZSTAN DPR KOREA REP. KOREA

U S A

UZBEKISTAN AZERBAIJAN TURKMENISTAN ARMENIA TAJIKISTAN

JAPAN

MOROCCO BAHAMAS

TUNISIA

SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

IRAQ
JORDAN BAHRAIN

IS L . R E P . IR A N
KUWAIT QATAR UAE

AFGHANISTAN

C H I N A
BHUTAN

MEXICO
CUBA JAMAICA

ALGERIA

LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA

PAKISTAN

NEPAL
MARSHALL ISLANDS KIRIBATI TOKELAU TUVALU

EGYPT

DOMINICAN REP. HAITI ST KITTS & NEVIS ST VINCENT & GRENADINES GRENADA ANTIGUA & BARBUDA DOMINICA ST LUCIA BARBADOS TRINIDAD & TOBAGO GUYANA SURINAME CAPE VERDE MAURITANIA SENEGAL GAMBIA

SAUDI ARABIA MALI

BURKINA FASO CTE DIVOIRE

INDIA

BANGLADESH MYANMAR LAO PDR THAILAND PHILIPPINES CAMBODIA SRI LANKA BRUNEI DAR. MALAYSIA SINGAPORE VIET NAM

NAURU

GUATEMALA EL SALVADOR

BELIZE HONDURAS NICARAGUA

OMAN

NIGER

CHAD

ERITREA

YEMEN DJIBOUTI

SAMOA FIJI VANUATU TONGA

NIUE

SUDAN

PANAMA

VENEZUELA COLOMBIA

GHANA TOGO BENIN

COSTA RICA

GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA SIERRA LEONE LIBERIA

COOK ISLANDS

NIGERIA
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC UGANDA

ETHIOPIA
SOMALIA

MALDIVES

PALAU

EQUATORIAL CAMEROON GUINEA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE GABON CONGO

ECUADOR

DEM. REP. CONGO

KENYA RWANDA BURUNDI UNITED REP. TANZANIA SEYCHELLES

MICRONESIA, FED. STATES OF

PERU

I N D O N E S I A
COMOROS TIMOR-LESTE

BRAZIL
ANGOLA
ZAMBIA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

MALAWI

BOLIVIA
NAMIBIA

MADAGASCAR
ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA

MAURITIUS

CHILE

PARAGUAY

MOZAMBIQUE

Health effects on children

Pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections Asthma Low birth weight
URUGUAY

SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA

SWAZILAND LESOTHO

The entire bus fleet of New Delhi has converted to compressed natural gas to ease the citys infamous pea-soup smog.

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

From Inheriting the World: The Atlas of Children's Health and the Environment WHO