Blowing Water | Must children die from bad air before Hong Kong acts on pollution?

As Hong Kong was choking under an intense blanket of haze last week, a mother in Britain brought the discourse about the deadly effects of air pollution on children’s health to the fore, drawing global attention. Rosamund Kissi-Debrah’s nine-year-old daughter, Ella, died in February 2013 after suffering three years of seizures and paying 27 visits to various hospitals; Ella lived 25 metres from a heavily polluted road in south London. Last week, Kissi-Debrah won the right at the High Court to seek a new inquest into her daughter’s death, which was believed to have been caused by air pollution following the discovery of new evidence. The case has shone a spotlight on how many children around the world are dying as a result of the unsafe air they are breathing. But sadly, those in power are doing nothing to stop it. The indifference to such an obvious problem is prevalent among governments and major health care bodies worldwide. Hong Kong has yet to see a landmark case such as Ella’s to further highlight the great dangers of air pollution. The fact that dirty air is bad for us is not rocket science; it is especially risky for children because their lungs, brains, and other organs are still maturing. Therefore, heavy and sustained exposure can lead to illness and other health problems that could last a lifetime. Sadly, in Ella’s case, it led to years of painful hospital visits and her eventual – and untimely – death. Haze chokes city as wait begins for next monsoon to bring fresh air A World Health Organisation (WHO) report, published late last year, highlighted the latest scientific evidence linking exposure to air pollution to adverse health effects in children. It wrote that although air pollution is widely recognised as a major health threat causing about 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year, the critical aspect that it is affecting children in uniquely damaging ways is often overlooked. According to WHO, more than one in every four deaths of children under five years is directly or indirectly related to environmental risks such as air pollution. The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reports that Hong Kong’s air pollutants can contribute to a broad spectrum of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, such as decreased lung functions, chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma symptoms and premature death in current sufferers of heart or lung disease. Some critics and parents have suggested that schools should be shut on days when air pollution risks are high, but this solution certainly does not address the cause of the problem. Besides having to reduce air pollutants to acceptable levels, the government must protect our young from the threat of unsafe air by better managing childhood exposure to pollutants through effective public education and community communication about the risks and solutions. New air quality goals expected to reap HK$33 billion in economic benefits The broader community, including health care professionals, should demand public health policies from the government to prevent or at least minimise children’s exposure to air pollutants. We need better and quicker action now in terms of effective policies to fight air pollution. Although the government is currently in the process of reviewing its quinquennial air quality objectives for 2025 this year, critics have already slated its “overly conservative” targets. In summary, the objectives will limit the daily number of respirable and fine suspended particulates (PM10 and PM2.5 respectively) by 2020, and will be enforced as such until 2025. These objectives have been set against current WHO guidelines for air pollutants. Fewer days of dirty air but it’s not all good news, green group says The government has estimated this will not only reduce the city’s high pollution levels but give Hong Kong a HK$33 billion (US$4.2 billion) boost; this is thanks to reduced hospital admissions and health care costs. In 2017, nearly 11,000 residents died from respiratory illnesses. Even better, we need to treat air pollution as an epidemic when formulating policies and solutions for the sake of our children, who rely totally on us to plan a better and safer future for them. Forget about cash handouts in the upcoming budget plan this year; the best gift the government can give Hong Kong is a more liveable environment with cleaner air so that our children can spend more time outdoors. Spending time playing outside can reduce chances of child obesity and depression, improve activeness and social skills, and bring benefits from creative and interactive play to develop a holistic attitude early in life. The government needs to prioritise children’s welfare and their long-term development; it is their basic human right to access clean and breathable air. Without doubt, air pollution is a strong contributory factor to many premature deaths of children worldwide. Sadly, this was the unfortunate fate of young Ella when the British government turned a blind eye, allowing unlawful levels of air pollution to persist over an extended period resulting in her death. If we do not want to see more Ellas here, we must push our government to take swift and strong action to tackle pollution and protect our young from it. Luisa Tam is a senior editor at the Post

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Blowing Water | Must children die from bad air before Hong Kong acts on pollution?

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}New evidence in death of nine-year-old girl in Britain throws spotlight on dangers of unsafe air

Blowing Water | Must children die from bad air before Hong Kong acts on pollution?

New evidence in death of nine-year-old girl in Britain throws spotlight on dangers of unsafe air