全球超九成儿童呼吸有毒空气 可阻碍大脑发育

More than nine out of every 10 children on Earth are breathing toxic air on a daily basis, which stunts their brain development and causes deadly diseases, according to a major report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

根据世界卫生组织的一份重要报告，全球超过九成儿童每天都在呼吸阻碍其大脑发育并引发致命疾病的有毒空气。

While air pollution is an increasingly recognized problem, which costs the global economy more than $5 trillion a year, it is "uniquely damaging" to children's health, the WHO warns.

世卫组织警告称，空气污染越来越成为公认的问题，每年给全球经济造成超过5万亿美元的损失，但空气污染对儿童健康的“危害非同寻常”。

It reports that 93% of children, including 630 million under 5, live in areas where pollutants breach WHO-recommended safety levels, and even in wealthier countries, 52% of under-fives are routinely breathing harmful air.

世卫组织报告称，93%的儿童（包括6.3亿5岁以下儿童）所生活的地区污染物水平超过世卫组织推荐的安全线，即便在较富裕的国家，也有52%的5岁以下儿童常年呼吸有害空气。

"Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives," said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

世卫组织总干事特德罗斯·阿达诺姆·盖布雷耶苏斯博士称：“被污染的空气正在毒害数百万儿童并毁掉他们的生活。”

"This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfill their full potential."

“这不可原谅。每个儿童都应当能够呼吸清洁的空气，这样他们才能成长并充分发挥其潜力。"

Air pollution also effects neurological development and cognitive ability and can trigger asthma and childhood cancer, the report says.

该报告指出，空气污染还会影响神经发育和认知能力，并可能引发哮喘和儿童癌症。

Children exposed to excessive pollution may also be at greater risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

暴露在过度污染环境下的儿童，在成年后患心血管疾病等慢性疾病的风险也更大。