EDITORIAL

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The air we breathe

DO YOU know that November is Clean Air Month? Do you also know that last week, the Unicef released the report “Clear the Air for Children,” which “points out that around 300 million children live in areas where the air is toxic – exceeding international limits by at least six times – and that children are uniquely vulnerable to air pollution, breathing faster than adults on average and taking in more air relative to their body weight”?
We specifically draw attention to Unicef’s warning that “open burning of waste is highly hazardous for public health.” This is a large source of toxic air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide, black carbon, dioxins, furans and mercury – highly toxic and/or carcinogenic pollutants.
Children are more susceptible than adults to both indoor and outdoor air pollution as their lungs, brains and immune systems are still developing and their respiratory tracts are more permeable. The most disadvantaged, who already tend to have poorer health and inadequate access to health services, are the most vulnerable to the illnesses caused by polluted air.
Studies have shown that air pollution is strongly associated with respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma, among others. It can also exacerbate underlying health issues and prevent children from going to school, and there is emerging evidence that it can disrupt physical and cognitive development. Left untreated, some health complications related to air pollution can last a lifetime.
But we can do something about this. Better waste management can reduce the amount of waste that is burned within communities. We support the United Nations’ agency’s call promoting the rights and well-being of every child, to cut air pollution for children’s health. We support Unicef’s four-point call to reduce air pollution, increase children’s access to health care, minimize children’s exposure and monitor air pollution.
We urge our national and local authorities and the general public to actively back Unicef’s call to clear the air for children’s health. We call on all Filipinos not to add to the air pollutants in the environment by consuming responsibly, by reducing what we throw away and by not burning waste resources, which could be reused, recycled or composted instead.
The genuine enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which bans the open dumping and open burning of trash, and the Clean Air Act, which bans the incineration of municipal, biomedical and hazardous wastes that emits poisonous and toxic fumes, will contribute tremendously to making the air safe to breathe for children and everyone else.
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