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posted by martyb on Thursday December 07 2017, @07:16AM   Printer-friendly
from the parents-also-breathe-that-air dept.

Toxic air puts 17 million babies' brains and lungs at risk: UNICEF

About 17 million babies worldwide live in areas where outdoor air pollution is six times the recommended limit, and their brain development is at risk, the U.N. children's agency (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.

The majority of these babies – more than 12 million – are in South Asia, it said, in a study of children under one-year-old, using satellite imagery to identify worst-affected regions.

"Not only do pollutants harm babies' developing lungs – they can permanently damage their developing brains – and, thus, their futures," said UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake.

The links between air pollution and dain bramage are not yet conclusive, according to the report's author.

UNICEF press release. Danger in the air (PDF).

Related: Air Quality Unsafe for 90% of People In Urban Centres
80 Percent of World's City Dwellers Breathing Bad Air: UN
Study Links Pregnant Women's Exposure to Air Pollution to Shorter Telomeres in Babies
Lancet Report Says Pollution Caused 9 Million Premature Deaths in 2015
Air Pollution Linked to Osteoporosis and Bone Fractures


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @09:15AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @09:15AM (#606726)

    I can't tell whether you're seriously trying to minimize the issue of children's health.
    Just in case: the adults *choose* to smoke.

    The kids don't choose where they are born, and they have no control over their environment.
    Their parents generally have no control over said environment either.
    In fact, by growing stupid children, the respective societies are ensuring that stupid adults who reproduce in poor environments (because they're stupid and have unprotected sex) will exist in the future.
    I personally find that wrong (and apparently UNICEF thinks it's wrong as well).

  • (Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @12:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @12:05PM (#606774)

    The kids don't choose where they are born, and they have no control over their environment.
    Their parents generally have no control over said environment either.

    Their parents do have control over their own penis and vagina. Whose problem it is when they choose not to use protection?