The life expectancy of a child born today will be reduced by an average of 20 months due to health damage caused by air pollution, researchers said on Wednesday. Of all risks to health across the world, air pollution is the fifth leading cause of death, killing more people each year than road accidents and malaria, the report said. About half of the total deaths in 2017 relating to air pollution occurred in China and India together, the research said. More than 1.2 million early deaths were caused by air pollution in each of those countries that year. Some of the risks for children from exposure to air pollution are potential damage to brain development, limited lung capacity and the onset of problems like asthma, he added.

Source: The Irish Times April 03, 2019 20:03 UTC