Children's environmental health—from knowledge to action

Abstract

WHO estimates that up to 25% of the global burden of disease is due to preventable environmental exposures. Children are especially vulnerable because they receive a higher dose than adults, with more extreme consequences. The unborn child's health can also be affected, because the environment can influence gene expression and organogenesis. The burden of disease is unevenly distributed, with greatest exposure to children in developing and low-income countries. While children in such countries still have to cope with traditional threats, including lack of access to safe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, and infectious diseases, they suffer from emerging environmental exposures that threaten their health, such as the effects of rapid globalisation, an upsurge in urbanisation, transboundary chemical transport, and unsustainable consumption. All of these threats contribute to environmental degradation. 1 Suk WA Ruchirawat KM Balakrishnan K et al. Environmental threats to children's health in southeast Asia and the western Pacific. Environ Health Perspect. 2003; 111: 1340-1347 Crossref PubMed Scopus (60) Google Scholar Along with poverty and undernutrition, children in developing countries are faced with a triple burden of disease.