In France, nearly three out of four children breathe polluted air.
This is the alarming observation that the Climate Action Network and Unicef France draw up this Thursday in a report on the consequences of air pollution.
A figure which is explained "by a greater exposure to air pollution in the cities, where most children live", remind the organizations.
And the youngest would be "particularly vulnerable" to these pollutants "because of the immaturity of their bodies and the frequency with which they breathe, likely to cause many pathologies", such as asthma and allergies, point out NGO.
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Above all, poverty accentuates this phenomenon.
Poor populations would be "more likely to accumulate several harmful exposures (degraded indoor air quality, greater exposure to noise, heat, etc.)" than the others, insists the report.
And for good reason, they would have less green spaces, parks, play areas and recreation that could counterbalance these effects.
"The double penalty" for poor children
Thus, "poor children are victims of a double penalty: they are more vulnerable to air pollution as children and this vulnerability is exacerbated by their socio-economic status and that of their parents", summarizes Jodie. Soret, in charge of relations with the public authorities for Unicef France. France uses the threshold of 60% of the median standard of living to characterize poverty. According to this definition, in 2018, 21% of children under 18 were poor.
Faced with this observation, the NGOs are calling for greater consideration of “social disadvantage” in public policies to combat air pollution.
They formulate five recommendations in this direction, among which "better protect the health of the youngest", "support changes in mobility" (development of the bicycle, increase the conversion bonus for low-income households, invest in public transport) or even "apply the requirements of social justice to reduction measures", for example by giving the most vulnerable children priority access to facilities such as school streets or reducing the space required for cars.