UNEP/WHO - 2.5 Million In Asia Die Each Year From Environmental Problems

MANILA, Philippines, November 24, 2004 (ENS) - More than 2.5 million people in the Asia and Pacific region die each year due to environmental risks, such as exposure to urban and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, and climate change.

That warning was delivered at a special meeting that opened today, jointly organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The high level meeting on health and environment, being held over three days at the Bank's headquarters in Manila, brings together representatives of ministries of health and of environment and other key institutions from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia. The meeting aims to develop a better understanding of the linkages between poverty, health, and environment.

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There are plenty of issues for the delegates to address. Avian influenza is spreading again across the region, rural women and their children are subjected to levels of smoke in their homes that far exceed international safety standards, and pesticide poisoning is a serious health problem that disproportionately affects infants and children in the region."

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