Polish kids face four times more pollution than French kids

Polish children are significantly more exposed to air pollution than French children, research by the University of Hasselt in Belgium has found.

The study, conducted over 28 children in Rybnik, Poland, shows they are between three and nine times more exposed to air pollution than children in Strasbourg, France.

Tests on children in Rybnik and Strasbourg found the Polish children had an average of 425 percent more black carbon, a carcinogenic substance linked to the burning of fossil fuels, in their urine.

The lead scientist from Hasselt University, Tim Nawrot, said he “has never seen” such high concentrations.

Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution. Particulate matter, including black carbon, is associated in early life with lower birth rate, decreased cognitive function, impaired cognitive aging, increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as well as respiratory and cancerous diseases in later life.

(Euractiv)