HARIPUR, Pakistan – Unregulated industrial pollution and lead exposure are poisoning a generation, with four in 10 children in high-risk cities carrying unsafe blood-lead levels, exacerbated by toxic smog and weak enforcement, according to a UNICEF study. Few months ago, Malik Ayaz Ahmed, 22, took a job at a lead-processing factory in Hattar, an industrial […] Continue reading ->
Over 800 million children have unsafe lead levels in their blood, according to the latest estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO). A toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust, humans are increasingly exposed to lead contained in a range of everyday products, including paint, cookware, cosmetics and spices. Informal recycling and contaminated environments can […] Continue reading ->
International development lenders committed $4.7 billion in 2024 to projects aimed explicitly at reducing air pollution, less than 1% of all international development finance, according to an annual analysis published Tuesday by the Clean Air Fund (CAF). That was up 58% from $3.0 billion in 2023, nearly matching the 2022 peak of $4.8 billion. A […] Continue reading ->
Rural farm fires and Diwali fireworks likely to trigger pollution emergencies in northern India during late autumn and early winter, despite the rollout of new pollution control measures in the capital city territory. DELHI, India – As India braces for the winter smog season, Delhi has announced a pollution mitigation plan for the expected peak […] Continue reading ->
ISRAELI-OCCUPIED WEST BANK – The oxygen mask slipped from three-month-old Ahmad Zaid’s face. He was in his father’s arms, in front of a closed Israeli military gate blocking the road between Deir Ammar refugee camp, northwest of Ramallah, where the family lives, and the city of Ramallah, with a hospital the family was desperate to […] Continue reading ->
Progress towards global nutrition targets is too slow, and rising food prices threaten to put healthy diets even further out of reach for many, according to the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World published recently by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Even before delivery systems began to strain under the […] Continue reading ->
Lisa Sama is a 19-year-old medical student in Cameroon. As far back as she can remember, she has lived with asthma, and in recent years, she has turned her attention to the role that air pollution plays in her health. “From the very beginning, my life involved inhalers, medication, hospital visits, and many sleepless nights. […] Continue reading ->
New research found that after the US administration suspended its embassy air pollution monitoring initiative, air pollution increased by 23-33%, particularly in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where reliable monitoring data is scarce. The US’s abrupt shutdown of its embassy air pollution monitoring program in 2025 hit regions with little publicly available data the hardest, […] Continue reading ->
Climate change and deforestation have intensified wildfires in the Amazon. Volunteer brigades have become an essential part of integrated fire management. The loud crackles of burning twigs are the first to hit. Then, the scorched smell. Soon afterwards, columns of white and yellow smoke emerge, so thick they look solid. On the ground, flames as […] Continue reading ->
Spain has officially submitted Dr María Neira’s nomination for the WHO Director-General election ahead of Thursday’s statutory deadline, sources close to the matter told Health Policy Watch. The submission expands the candidate pool by introducing a focus on primary prevention and climate-related health risks to the race. Before Neira’s nomination, a coalition representing over 100 […] Continue reading ->