South Africans bear a double burden of environmental threats to their health, Dr Anthony Mbewu, executive director of research development at the Medical Research Council (MRC), said on Thursday.
And the council’s environment and health research office head, Angela Mathee, said children were particularly vulnerable to pollution and environmental hazards.
Despite making up only 10% of the world’s population, young children are estimated to bear around 40% of the world’s burden of disease. Both industry and the under-development of informal and inner-city settlements caused environmental pollution in South Africa, Mbewu said.
He said it was estimated the one-third of the burden of disease in the world was caused by environmental factors.
Mathee said inadequate access to water, sanitation and safe cooking fuels continued to contribute to two of the biggest killers of young South African children: diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia.
Rooted in South Africa’s political history, there continued to be strong poverty and ”racial” dimensions to childhood environmental threats.
Mathee added that most children faced the worst environmental hazards in their own homes and schools.
”For example, we have known for some time that leaded petrol is a major contributor to high blood levels in as many 55% of children living in impoverished areas.
”We are only now however, beginning to appreciate that lead-based house paint may also be playing an important role in childhood lead exposure.
”Preliminary results from an exploratory study currently underway in Johannesburg is indicating that lead-based paint may have been used in as many as 22% of homes.”
Mbewu said the MRC had made a commitment to scaling up its environment and health research programme, and was particularly pleased to be participating, together with the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the initiation and development of the South African Healthy Environments for Children Alliance (SAHECA).
Launched by the WHO on September 1 last year at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the alliance is a global initiative to address major environmental threats to the health of children in their homes, schools and neighbourhoods. – Sapa