Shanghai children were
found to have the highest incidence
of childhood asthma among 10 major
cities in China - a level almost 56
percent higher than the average for
those cities, according to a new
study.
The Chinese Society for
Environmental Sciences based the study
in part on questioning the parents
of thousands of children between three
and six years old in Beijing,
Shanghai, Xi'an, Wuhan, Harbin,
Taiyuan, Chongqing, Changsha, Nanjing and
Urumqi. They combined that information
with analysis of the children's
residence, habits and outdoor environment,
officials said on Monday.
The
study, conducted from 2010 to 2011, is
part of the International Study of
Asthma and Allergies in
Childhood.
The average incidence
of children's asthma in the 10
cities was 6.8 percent, while it was
10.6 percent in Shanghai. The 10-city
average was much higher than the 0.91
percent found in 1990 and 1.5 percent
in 2000, officials said.
While
several of those cities regularly
register worse overall air pollution
than Shanghai, officials said outdoors
pollution was not the only factor
contributing to childhood asthma and
other allergy-related
illnesses.
Children living in
areas with high humidity, where it
is hot in summer and cold in
winter and there may be insufficient
heating equipment, have a higher
incidence.
Researchers said the
major reasons for indoor air pollution
include the frequent use of new
and synthetic materials in renovation;
poor ventilation, especially in the
kitchen and bathroom; improper installation
and use of air-conditioning systems,
and outdoor pollution.
