The Silent Killer: Tackling Air Pollution in East Asia and the Pacific – Thailand Business News

For 20-year-old student Chirawan Oranratmanee from Chiang Mai, Thailand, air pollution is not just a distant environmental concern, it’s a devastating reality that changed her life forever. Her mother, a once healthy professor, passed away to lung cancer, not due to smoking, but from years of exposure to toxic PM2.5 particles.

What was once a seasonal haze in Chiang Mai has become a year-round crisis, turning daily life into a struggle for clean air. Across Thailand, much of East Asia and the Pacific, worsening air pollution is not only choking cities but also taking a vast toll on public health. 

Air pollution is one of the most pressing, yet overlooked, threats to children’s health in the region. It’s linked with about 100 child deaths every single day, and that’s about 38,000 over the course of the year. About one in four childhood deaths in this region are linked to air pollution making it the second leading risk factor for under 5 years old mortality in the region, after malnutrition.

During a press conference in Bangkok on February 6, 2025, UNICEF revealed alarming statistics on the severe impact of toxic air pollution on millions of children, urging immediate and unified efforts to safeguard their health and future.

The crisis at hand

As Bangkok is facing a severe air pollution crisis, more than 350 schools have been forced to close. Recently ranked the eight-most polluted city globally, authorities have restricted traffic in some areas and encouraged remote work, though only about 100,000 of the city’s 10 million residents have enrolled in the program. 

All children in the region, amounting to 500 million individuals, live in countries where air pollution levels are harmful. Over 325 million children live in places where the annual average levels of PM2.5 exceed five times the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020, 373 million children in eight countries of the region were exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels exceeding WHO guidelines, while 91% of children in East Asia and the Pacific lived in countries where peak seasonal ozone levels also surpassed these guidelines.

The long term exposure to these pollutants can cause both immediate and long-term health impacts. Children’s developing bodies are especially vulnerable, facing risks like lung damage, asthma, developmental delays, cancer, and even death.

Economically, air pollution impacts children’s education through absences due to illnesses and schools shutting down, and when parents stay home to care for sick children, national productivity declines. A recent study from Mongolia revealed $7.5 million in losses due to air pollution-related absenteeism. Air pollution also leads to substantial costs, with the World Bank estimating that PM2.5 pollution related deaths and diseases cost 9.3% of GDP in the region in 2019, amounting to over $2.5 trillion.

Air pollution also highlights social inequalities, as vulnerable, low-income communities face a higher exposure, living near factories or in areas with poor air quality. These communities also lack the resources to reduce exposure, such as clean cooking and heating methods or air purifiers. 

Throughout China, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Mongolia, the burning of fossil fuels, biomass and agricultural waste causes half of the presence of particles, nitrogen dioxide and ozone in the air. While outdoor air pollution is an increasingly significant issue, indoor air pollution accounts for the largest share of deaths among children under 5. Indeed, 56% of air pollution-related deaths among children in the region are linked to household air pollution, where the majority of the population uses solid fuels for cooking and heating.

UNICEF’s Call to Action

Governments in East Asia have made efforts to tackle air pollution. The Chinesechinese government introduced stricter regulations for industries and transportation. These include tightening emission standards for factories and power plants, as well as transitioning to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power to reduce dependence on coal. China has also focused on expanding public transportation, particularly electric buses, to reduce emissions from private vehicles. Thailand has introduced air quality management policies aimed at reducing emissions from agricultural practices, particularly on reducing open burning. In recent weeks, schools in Bangkok have been closed, and recommendations have been issued for people to work from home due to dangerously high levels of PM2.5.

However, as outdoor and indoor air pollution levels remain high, UNICEF has issued a call to action to combat air pollution, emphasizing the need for governments, businesses, the health sector, parents, and educators to take immediate steps to protect children.

To fight this “silent killer”, UNICEF urges the governments to lead by example by enforcing air quality standards matching with WHO guidelines and implementing national policies regarding the burning of fossil fuels and biomass. The businesses should ensure their practices and products prioritize non-polluting options to reduce emissions. The healthcare sector, which has already undergone significant improvement in that regard, should continue working on the detection and treatment of pollution-related illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis, even in the more secluded areas. Parents and educators, as caregivers, should play a crucial role in raising awareness, advocating for cleaner environments and taking actions to protect children from the hazards of air pollution.

“This is an urgent issue, but it’s still an invisible issue. The media has a critical role to play in making this silent killer visible.” Myo Zin-Nyunt, UNICEF Deputy Regional Director

UNICEF’s Efforts to Combat Air Pollution

UNICEF is working with communities across East Asia and the Pacific to protect children from the effects of air pollution. For instance, by implementing programmes that reduce children’s exposure to household air pollution with solutions like chimney ventilation and cleaner heating systems. In China, UNICEF introduced chimney ventilation, fans, and air purifiers to reduce exposure to pollutants. In Mongolia, UNICEF supports the Cooking, Heating and Insulation Products (CHIP) package for ger insulation, heating, and ventilation, which reduces indoor air pollution previously created by burning raw coal.

“Young people have the power to push for change. And it’s really about equipping them with the evidence and with the skills and the knowledge they need to be able to take action to protect themselves and their peers, but also to demand change and to really be those agents of change that we know they can be.” 

Eliane Luthi, UNICEF’s regional chief of communication

In Mongolia, UNICEF helps young people become “clean air champions” by providing them with affordable air quality monitors to collect, analyze, and share data. These young advocates actively work to reduce exposure to air pollution and push for effective policies at both national and local levels. In Thailand, UNICEF collaborates with students like Chirawan to promote climate education and ensure their involvement in discussions. UNICEF also works to connect young people to policymaking processes, ensuring their voices are heard in policy forums and that decision-makers consider the needs and rights of children.