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Children need protection against ecological threats, WHO says
June 17, 1999
LONDON (Reuters) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Thursday for new measures to protect children from environmental health hazards.
Roberto Bertollini, an assistant director of the WHO, told a conference of European health and environment ministers that children are more vulnerable than adults to the damaging effects of pollution.
"It is extraordinary that safety standards for chemical contamination of food or water quality do not properly account for the special vulnerability of children and the long-term effects on their health," he said.
"Children breathe more air and are exposed to more pollutants relative to their body weight than adults, and they are generally more susceptible to pollutants. Governments have to urgently determine how to reduce children's exposure to hazards."
Although fewer children in Europe are dying from infectious diseases and most have benefited from better food and cleaner water, WHO said action is needed to tackle problems such as childhood injuries, environmental tobacco smoke, asthma and the apparent increase in childhood cancers in Europe.
"These issues have come to the fore," Irish Health Minister Brian Cowen told a news conference.
He said officials at the three-day conference recognized that problems with environmental causes were most pressing in emerging economies that were least capable of dealing with them.
Ministers agreed that an international forum to share experiences and provide resources is one way forward.
The U.N. agency also urged governments to increase public awareness of the dangers of lead poisoning, water contamination, pollution, smoking and external injuries, such as poisoning, violence and accidents, which are the leading causes of death among children under 15.
Government were also encouraged to take measures to deter young people from smoking and to take part in global efforts to decrease air pollution and asthma.
More than 70 officials from 51 countries are attending the meeting, the largest gathering of health and environment ministers in Europe. It is expected to pass a binding protocol on water to curb the re-emergence of diseases such as cholera and typhoid.