This report assesses risks to children from urban outdoor air pollution based on 1993-95 levels. An earlier version of this analysis was presented to the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Anaheim, California, in January 1999, and included 207 cities with a population over 1 million in 53 countries weighted for three air pollutants - Total Suspended Particulates (TSP), sulfur dioxide (S02), and nitrogen dioxide (N02). This report focuses on cities with a population over 9 million for which data were available. In order to assist policy makers in identifying priority areas for intervention, we present two distinct analyses: 1.) Cities with populations over 9 million - megacities - are ranked in terms of the annual average levels of three different pollutants; 2.) Megacities are identified where the greatest number of children face the highest risks from these 3 pollutants combined. Since 1995, a number of cities have substantially reduced their air pollution levels. As these areas continue to develop, comprehensive and accurate air quality monitoring and information management systems need to be implemented. It is now widely understood that the same activities that contribute to local and regional air pollution also threaten our climate and weather by producing persistent greenhouse gases. In this regard, adopting policies to mitigate the build up of these gases can also reduce health risks from pollution. Near term efforts to promote energy efficiency, especially in rapidly growing transport and energy sectors, will have collateral benefits of protecting the health of millions of children, and will also reduce the buildup of greenhouse gases in the long term. 1999 / 20 pages |
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