聯合國：每天有數千名兒童死於污染 (上)

NEW YORK, New York, May 10, 2002 (ENS) - About 5,500 children die each day around the world from diseases caused by polluted air, water and food, concludes a new study released Thursday by three United Nations agencies. The report details the deadly threat that environmental degradation poses to the Earth's most vulnerable citizens.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hundreds of children paraded through the streets of Manhattan on Wednesday in a march for child rights - which include the right to a clean environment. (Photo by Donna DeCesare UNICEF)

Environmental contamination gives rise to a number of diseases, including diarrhea and acute respiratory infections - two of the leading causes of child mortality - charges the report, "Children in the New Millennium: Environmental Impact on Health."

The study notes that thousands of children continue to die every day from pollution related diseases, despite improvements made over the past 10 years in both children's well being and the environment.

"We have made great strides over the last decade," said Carol Bellamy, executive director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). "Children are healthier today. There is more access to clean water."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF. (Photo courtesy UNICEF)

"But these disturbing figures show we have barely started to address some of the main problems," Bellamy added. "Far too many children are dying from diseases that can be prevented through access to clean water and sanitation."

The 140 page report was produced by UNICEF, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It was released in conjunction with the three day United Nations (UN) General Assembly special session on children, which opened in New York on Wednesday.

The conference, attended by more than 60 heads of state or government and 170 national delegations, aims to place children at the top of the world's agenda and foster more investment in essential social services for them. One of its main goals is to increase household access to hygienic sanitation facilities and affordable and safe drinking water.

The UN report identifies a number of environmental problems that directly affect children, such as high levels of toxic chemicals and the degradation and depletion of natural resources. For example, lead contamination in the environment - much of it from leaded gasoline - causes permanent neurological and developmental disorders in children.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A girl delegate at the Children's Forum. (Photo by Susan Markisz UNICEF)

Millions of children work in agriculture, putting them at high risk of pesticide poisoning. Children are also disproportionately vulnerable to global environmental problems, such as the impact of climate change, the depletion of the ozone layer, and the loss of the planet's biological diversity, the report warns.