“In polluted sites +20% of pathologies in the early stages of life”

2023-05-05 19:57:43

“The Sentieri report identifies some critical issues among children residing in Italian contaminated sites. We examined 46 sites and the study analyzed the profile of health, mortality, hospitalization and the risk of congenital malformations in the populations residing in these areas. In these polluted places, the document highlights, in the last year, a 20% increase in pathologies for the first stages of life, but also an increase in congenital malformations in seven of the 21 sites that are covered by the register. Data that are confirmed even in the more advanced age groups”. Thus Ivano Iavarone, member of the Environment and Health Department of the Higher Institute of Health, comments on the data of the ‘VI edition of the Sentieri report’ of the ISS, on the sidelines of the third national conference ‘Treating is taking care’ organized by the Ail (Associazione against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma) entitled ‘Environmental impact and health risk’, which took place today in Rome.

“We underline – adds the expert – a 3.5% increase in children aged 0-19 years hospitalized for natural causes and around 4% of young people hospitalized for respiratory diseases. We think that these cases deserve an analytical study because children are more vulnerable to the effect of environmental pollution”, concluded Iavarone.