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CHILDREN: WHO Urges Action On Environmental Health Risks
"Children are more vulnerable than adults" to illnesses linked to environmental pollution, "but politicians continue to ignore the danger," according to experts with the World Health Organization (WHO).
At a London conference of European health, environment and transport ministers, Roberto Bertollini of the WHO European Center for Environment and Health said: "It is extraordinary that safety standards for chemical contamination of food or water quality do not properly take into account the special vulnerability of children and the long-term effects on their health." Children are "particularly vulnerable to pollutants because of their immature biological development, behavior and metabolism," said a report issued by the WHO. The incidence of childhood asthma and certain cancers and neurological problems linked to pollution is on the rise in Europe, the report noted (Agence France-Presse, 17 Jun).
The report also said governments must "urgently determine how to reduce children's exposure to hazards." Ministers agreed on the need for an international forum on the issue and also urged governments to raise public awareness of lead poisoning, water contamination, smoking and childhood injuries (Reuters/CNN Interactive, 17 Jun).