A French study by the Ministry of Health points out social inequalities in children’s exposure to the main air pollutants. A slight reduction in this exposure before the age of 1 year would prevent thousands of hospitalizations for asthma or bronchiolitis.
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Air pollution represents a major public health challenge, particularly for the youngest, when we know that it is the cause of at least 1,200 premature deaths per year in Europe among children and adults. adolescents. On the continent, a significant proportion of childhood asthma is thought to be attributable to air pollution and would be partly preventable if World Health Organization air quality standards were met.
In mainland France, young children living in the most modest but also the wealthiest households would be the most exposed to air pollution due to fine particles of less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) according to a study by the Ministry of Health published last Thursday. “ In fact, the wealthiest live more often in large urban areas, where atmospheric pollution is concentrated, and the less affluent in the most polluted municipalities and suburbs, within these areas. », Explains the report from the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics.
The case of children from low-income families
The study points out social inequalities in health, which make children from low-income families particularly affected by air pollution: “ Whether through differences in exposure or differences in vulnerability, air pollution could contribute to social inequalities in health, from a very young age. “. From birth, these children are in poorer health, for example having a 1.5 times higher risk of being born prematurely than the wealthiest.
Previously, American researchers had found a direct link between childhood asthma and air pollution. However, around 11,000 children per year are admitted to hospital urgently for asthma before the age of 3. 1.9% of the poorest children are admitted to hospital urgently for asthma before this age, compared to 1.2% of the wealthiest (i.e. a risk multiplied by 1.6). Same case for bronchiolitis before the age of 2 (which affects 28,000 children born each year), with a double risk for the poorest compared to the wealthiest.
15 days without exposure to avoid thousands of hospitalizations
The report specifies that a reduction in average annual exposure to fine particles of around 1% during the first year of a child’s life is essential, in the sense that this would avoid thousands of hospitalizations. “ This amounts to protecting children under one year of age from around two weeks of significant one-off increases in their exposure to these pollutants, in order to avoid around 2,000 hospitalized cases of bronchiolitis, 1,800 hospitalized cases of asthma and 6,100 children treated with anti-asthma medication. »
