Children's Health and the Environment
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Dialogue
Children’s Health and the Environment
PETER ILLIG AND DEMITRIS P. HALDEOS
ABSTRACT Peter Illig argues that children are at a disproportionate risk to environmental concerns that plague communities in both the developed and developing world context. They have few legal rights to influence the structures and routines that order their daily lives, and therefore there is the need for much more awareness in health policies about how to protect children, nearly 8.5 million of whom die each year due to environmentally sourced factors. KEYWORDS pollution; behaviour; rights; sustainability; education
Children are unique Children are not ‘little adults’. They possess unique biological, developmental and behavioural vulnerabilities. Every year some 8.5 million children below the age of15 die from environmentally sourced factors as diverse as dirty water and road accidents. In all, 90 per cent of these victims are children under the age of five years. Uniquely, children breathe, ingest and absorb more toxins than adults on a weight basis ratio. This reality places them at a disproportionate risk to environmental concerns that plague communities in both the developed and developing world context. Further, children have few legal rights to influence the structures and routines that order their daily lives. Fundamentally, children are our most vulnerable segment of society, and at greater risk of morbidity and mortality than adults. From conception to adolescence, rapid growth and development processes occur that can easily be disrupted by exposure to toxicants. During the first years of life, most of the development of the nervous system takes place. At this stage of development, the nervous system has a limited capacity to repair any structural damage. If cells in the developing brain are damaged or if vital connections between nerve cells fail to form, there is a high risk the resulting dysfunction will be permanent and irreversible (Rice and Barone, 2000:18). Worldwide, it is estimated that more than one-quarter of the global burden of disease (GBD) can be attributed to environmental risk factors. Over 40 per cent of the environmental disease burden falls on children under five years of age, yet these constitute only ten per cent of the world population (The Bangkok Statement). Global health care professionals have identifies five main categories of diseases that demand attention: perinatal illnesses, respiratory diseases, diarrhoeal diseases, and physical injuries (Briggs, 2003). Development (2004) 47(2), 104–108. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100036
Illig and Haldeos: Children’s Health and the Environment Primary causes of illness among children Perinatal illnesses represent one of the major causes of loss of life and illness among children worldwide. Various environmental factors contribute to these health effects, mainly maternal exposures and nutrition prior to, and immediately following, birth. Actions to reduce these risks include improving health care for pregnant women and mothers and improving the p
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