Published on : 22 Oct 2025, 12:08 pm

The toxic journey begins in the womb. When mothers are exposed to polluted air during pregnancy, the foetus is at serious risk. The risk escalates into a massive disease burden for infants, children and adolescents, lasting a lifetime. The problem has reached alarming proportions in the Global South, with India bearing the infamy of accounting for a quarter of the global infant deaths— within the first month of birth. Well-established science has defined the biological pathways through which pollutants enter the body and damage organs. These estimates consider not only lower-respiratory infections affecting children but also a much broader range of health impacts. Additionally, children from poorer households are at greater risk.

Foetuses exposed

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