WHO Warns Of Exploding Health Risks In Booming Asian Cities

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MANILA, Philippines — "Health conditions in Asia's booming cities will suffer dramatically unless governments take urgent measures to slash air and water pollution, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday.

Many urban areas are growing so fast that economies, services, and infrastructure cannot cope, the WHO office for the Western Pacific region said in a statement, predicting a rise in outbreaks of disease as well as in crime, violence, environmental degradation, pollution, poverty, and unhealthy lifestyles.

WHO estimates 1.5 billion urban dwellers face air pollution levels above the maximum recommended limits. In Asia — with half of the world's city dwellers — more than 1.5 million people die every year from pollution-related diseases, including about a half-million deaths attributed to particulate matter and sulphur dioxide.

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Urban areas worldwide are gaining an estimated 67 million people a year, or about 1.3 million every week. By 2030, about 5 billion people are expected to live in cities — 60 percent of the projected global population of 8.3 billion. WHO says about 2.3 billion people worldwide suffer from diseases linked to water problems, such as diarrhea, schistosomiasis, trachoma, ascariasis, and hookworm, with the urban poor more vulnerable due to shortages in adequate housing, sanitation, and other basic services."

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http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-15/s_9436.asp