Traffic-related air pollution causes asthma in 2 mn kids worldwide: Study

From Los Angeles to Mumbai a trafficrelated air pollutant drives nearly 2 million new cases of paediatric asthma every year according to a new studyAsthma is a chronic illness that causes inflammation of the lungs airwaysResearchers from George Washington University studied ground concentrations of nitrogen dioxide or NO2 a pollutant that comes from tailpipe vehicle emissions power plants and industrial sites They tracked new cases of asthma that developed in children from 2000 until 2019 in more than 13000 citiesOur study found that nitrogen dioxide puts children at risk of developing asthma and the problem is especially acute in urban areas said Susan Anenberg a colead author of the article and a professor of environmental and occupational health at the varsityThe findings suggest that clean air must be a critical part of strategies aimed at keeping children healthy she addedThe findings published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health showed out of the estimated 185 million new paediatric asthma cases attributed to NO2 globally in 2019 twothirds occurred in urban areasDespite the improvements in air quality in Europe and the US dirty air and particularly NO2 pollution has been rising in South Asia SubSaharan African and the Middle EastPaediatric asthma cases linked to NO2 pollution represent a large public health burden for South Asia and SubSaharan AfricaIn a second study published in the same journal researchers from the varsity showed that 18 million excess deaths can be linked to urban air pollution in 2019 aloneThe team found that 86 per cent of adults and children living in cities around the world are exposed to a level of fine particulate matter that exceeds the guidelines set by the World Health OrganisationReducing fossil fuelpowered transportation can help children and adults breathe easier and may pay big health dividends such as fewer cases of pediatric asthma and excess deaths Anenberg said At the same time it would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions leading to a healthier climateThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever