1.7 million child deaths a year

More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks — such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene — take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new World Health Organisation (WHO) reports.

In the report Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children's Health and the Environment reveals that a large portion of the most common causes of death among children aged 1 month to 5 years — diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia — are preventable by interventions known to reduce environmental risks, such as access to safe water and clean cooking fuels.

"A polluted environment is a deadly one — particularly for young children," says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. "Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water."

The report also noted that in households without access to safe water and sanitation, or that are polluted with smoke from unclean fuels such as coal or dung for cooking and heating, children are at higher risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia. Children are also exposed to harmful chemicals through food, water, air and products around them, it said.

Maria Neira, a WHO expert on public health, said this was a heavy toll, both in terms of deaths and long-term illness and disease rates. She urged governments to do more to make all places safe for children.