Blueair and CRY team up to improve the respiratory health of children in Delhi

New Delhi, 28September 2018: Swedish air purification expert Blueair and Indian child right’s organisation CRY, have launched an ambitious initiative to improve the respiratory health of children across Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world. Health check-up camps to identify the respiratory health of more 3500 children is being arranged and air purifiers installed in community centers across the city.

UNICEF estimates that 600.000 children under the age of 5 die prematurely from air pollution every year. Children are more susceptible than adults to both indoor and outdoor air pollution as their lungs, brains and immune systems are still developing and their respiratory tracts are more permeable. Together, outdoor and indoor air pollution are directly linked to pneumonia and other respiratory diseases that account for almost one in 10 under-five deaths, making air pollution one of the biggest threats to children's health.

To minimize the negative health effects of air pollution on the children living in Delhi, a city which often reports air quality levels well above WHO limits, Blueair will install air purifiers in 18 anganwadis and vocational training centres. In addition, Blueair with the support of CRY will arrange health check-ups for children and pregnant women living in Rohini and the industrial area of Badlipur, one of the most polluted neighbourhoods in Delhi. Basic medication for respiratory illnesses will also be provided as well as treatment for any critical illness.

Soha Moitra, Regional Director, CRY North commented, “We are proud to partner with Blueair, a company with a firm commitment to improve the health and well-being of children everywhere. At CRY, we believe that every child has the right to a safe and happy childhood. Protecting children from air pollution is therefore not only in their best interest, it is also in the best interest of society.”

“Clean air is a basic human right. In an industrial area like Badli, with air pollution levels sometimes hitting 10 times the safe limit, the respiratory health of children is at risk. We are therefore grateful to Blueair and CRY for supporting our children breathe clean air” added Jitendra from Pahal, a CRY partner in Badlipur.

Arvind Chabra, Country Head of Blueair said, “We are confident that this initiative will be a first step to improve the respiratory health of the children in Delhi. What few know is that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. By ensuring clean indoor air for young children and pregnant women in anganwadi centers, we are also helping to reduce the health inequalities among the children in Delhi.

Dr Ajay Gambhir, MBBS MD, Delhi Medical Council, Ex Finance Sec, IMA (HQ) New Delhi, explained that “The air that a child inhales during his initial years is critical for the adaptation and simulation of the immune system. Studies shows that children who are exposed to polluted air develop respiratory diseases like allergies and asthma. It also effects the IQ and the brain development of a child. Hence, breathing clean air is critical for child’s health.”

Clean air for children is an initiative launched by Blueair in 2016. Since then Blueair has donated air purifiers and face mask to schools, kindergartens, nurseries and children hospital in China, India, Korea, the UK and the US giving clean air to over 20,000 children.

About CRY

CRY (Child Rights and You) is an Indian NGO that believes in every child’s right to a childhood – to live, learn, grow and play. For four decades, CRY and its 850 initiatives have worked with parents and communities to ensure lasting change in the lives of more than 2,000,000 underprivileged children, across 23 states in India. For more information: www.cry.org