Air Pollution Killed Thousands of Children In Lagos In 2021

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has said that 22,500 children in the state died in 2021 as a result of air pollution. The report stated that the figure was 75% of 30,000 people who died in 2021 due to the bad environment.

LASEPA General Manager Dolapo Fasawe, disclosed this to journalists on the sidelines of the official kick-off ceremony for the "EKO Clean Air" project on August 27, 2022 in Lagos. The project's theme was "Breathe Clean Air Now".

A 2020 World Bank study "The Cost of Air Pollution in Lagos" revealed that illness and premature deaths due to ambient air pollution caused losses of U.S.$2.1 billion in 2018, representing 2.1% of Lagos State's GDP. In 2018, ambient air pollution led to about 11,200 premature deaths, the highest in West Africa. Children under five years of age were the most affected, accounting for 60% of total deaths while adults suffered from heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

InFocus

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