Hyderabad: Toxic air claims more kids than Malaria, HIV

Hyderabad: Fossil fuels are increasing the mean temperatures globally and this will impact young and unborn children the most, claim experts.

Studies have shown that mothers who are exposed to polluted environs will pass on the effect to their unborn children who may not even live up to the age of 5, before succumbing to the perils of pollution.

This shocking and terrifying revelation was made by the UNICEF in a report published last year. Over 6 lakh children were falling prey to pollution, which was higher than the deaths caused by malaria and HIV combined.

The main manifestation of toxic air in young children is that the baby has very little clean air to breathe. The situation is worse for the poor, especially in urban settings, where they do not get proper shelter from pollution. “With pollution, a woman runs a high risk of pre-term delivery that is before 37 weeks are completed, instead of the normal 40 weeks. Such babies would be underweight with poor development of organs, including lungs. Nowadays, 21 to 25 per cent patients suffer due to atmospheric gasses,” says Dr Vimee Bindra, gynecologist at Apollo Hospital.

The study by Health and Environment Alliance attributes over 1 crore premature deaths due to fossil fuel pollution. But if energy reforms are made, this figure could be brought down by 65 percent, say scientists.