Reference no: EM131432039

Assignment: Pollution Is Killing Our Children

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one in four deaths among children under the age of five are credited to pollutants. Air pollution, contaminated water, and poor sanitation are the reasons there are 1.7 million children dying each year.

Reports released by the WHO demonstrate that the most common causes of death among children in this age group are diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia and respiratory which can be prevented by having access to safe water for drinking and hygiene, exposure to cleaner air, improved sanitation and proper healthcare such as immunizations.

"A polluted environment is a deadly one particular for young children", stated Dr. Margaret Chan director-general for the WHO. "Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water".

The reports released by the WHO mention that infants exposed to second hand smoke have an increased risks of pneumonia and respiratory disease. Mothers that smoke or are regularly exposed to second hand smoke are exposing their children to harmful chemicals that could lead to serious health problems for the rest of their lives says the American Academy Pediatrics (AAP).

Environmental pollutants have a significant impact on our children, particularly in countries such as Ethiopia, India, and Haiti where access to clean water is scarce, and there are days in China where the air quality is so bad that the government closes factories and schools, or in countries like Africa where toxic colonialism occurs, or even in America where states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and North Carolina are ranked among the top in environmental pollution due to industry.

President Trump and the administrations recent move to roll back federal regulations take aim at air pollution and some might argue give polluters free reign. In agreement that our automobile industry has taken substantial hit over the years and stringent regulations have been costly, I think a balance between the two should be what we are working towards.

Everyone has a right to a safe and healthy environment. With that being said, we should be intentional in the part we play and share in the responsibilities of protecting and helping others regardless of where in this world they live so they might have the same opportunities. Children are not given a choice to whom they are born and to where they live. A child is a child and should not die because their home is not healthy. Our environment is our home and if our home is not healthy, then we are not healthy.