Clean Air, Healthy Children: An Agenda for Action

Every child has the right to clean air. But every day, hundreds of millions of children, mainly in low-and middle-income countries, have no choice but to breathe air laced with dangerous pollutants. Because children are uniquely vulnerable to the damaging health effects of air pollution, many die, get ill or bear lifelong consequences from exposure.

We can change this reality. We can stop children from dying or developing debilitating illnesses by confronting seven deadly sources of air pollution now. These seven sources include:

1. Household air pollution
2. Traffic-related air pollution
3. Waste-related air pollution
4. Industrial air pollution
5. Wildfire and landscape fire smoke
6. Sand and dust storms
7. Secondhand smoke
    

These sources of air pollution are major sources of PM2.5, the most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes across all age groups, and they also contain other harmful pollutants. This policy brief provides an overview of these seven sources of air pollution and recommended actions for governments, caregivers, the private sector, the health sector and civil society. It also includes actions for children and young people to engage and become agents of change on air pollution.