Smarter anti-pollution protection for Kids

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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2012 around 7 million people died as a result of air pollution exposure. This was one in eight global deaths. An independent research done by Berkeley Earth has also reported that 4,000 people die everyday in China from PM2.5 (particulate matters smaller or equal to 2.5 micron in size) pollution, which amounts to 1.6 million per year, or 17% mortality, in the country alone.

More recently, a report released by UNICEF last October revealed that two billion children, live in areas with high toxic levels of outdoor air pollution – higher than the WHO safety level of AQI 30. Out of these 2 billion children, 620 million live in South Asia, 520 in Africa and 450 in East Asia. The NGO has expressed its grave concern as air pollution causes not only deaths and respiratory diseases, but also damage the children’s developing brains, and by extension, their futures.

The two most lethal components of air pollution are PM2.5 and toxic gases like Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2). Particulate matters, often a result of forest fire, coal burning and power generation, tend to make news headlines and are more noticeable by the general public. Toxic gases, mainly from vehicle emission, get increasing attention from scientists and researchers for their adverse health effects including lung and cardiovascular diseases, stroke, asthma, as well as developmental impairment in children.

National governments have acknowledged the severity of the problem and pledged to combat air pollution among other environmental issues. However, everyone should deal with the matter immediately at hand, and protect themselves when exposed to pollution. The easiest thing to do would be to use a face mask but for the best possible protection, one should choose a mask that can guard against both particulate matters and toxic gases.