The poorest and richest children are most exposed to air pollution, according to a study by the Ministry of Health

The poorest and richest children are the most exposed to air pollution, according to a study by the Ministry of Health, published Thursday January 4. A state of affairs which can be explained, according to the study, by the demographics of the most polluted areas in France.

The most polluted air is located above cities and in city centers, where the wealthiest families and their children are most concentrated. They are therefore very exposed to this pollution, specifies the study by the DREES, the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics, a department of the Ministry of Health.

11,000 three-year-old children admitted urgently for asthma

The most polluted suburbs and municipalities are particularly exposed and inhabited by the poorest. It is these children from the poorest backgrounds who are over-represented in hospitalizations for respiratory problems, in particular because they are born in poorer health than children from wealthy families, regardless of pollution.

Each year in France, 11,000 three-year-old children are admitted urgently for asthma, 28,000 under the age of two for bronchiolitis. According to the study, reducing children’s exposure to this air pollution by even 1% during their first year of life would avoid thousands of hospitalizations.