I found this article this morning. It is just unbelievable how bad pollution is in some places and how severely it affects people's health. This article goes into very specific detail on what heavy metals are being found there and how they are affecting the local population. I just hope something can be done to help them because as is typical, it always affects children the worst. But really for those out there that do not think that the environment isn't THE issue that we need to concern ourselves with, please read this excerpt;

" According to World Health Organization, a quarter of all diseases affecting the humankind are attributable to environmental risks, with children more vulnerable than adults. Among children under five, environmentally-related illnesses are responsible for more than 4.7 million deaths annually. Twenty-five percent of deaths in developing countries are related to environmental factors, compared with 17 percent of deaths in the developed world. "

This isn't just a problem in third world countries. That is one thing that people in the US need to remember, the stat is still 17 percent of all deaths are attributed to environmental factors. The children in this country may not be in quite the direct danger that the children in Nairobi are in, but the stats on childhood asthma (courtesy of the American lung association) in this country clearly display the very real danger people are in here. "Asthma is the most common chronic disorder in childhood, currently affecting an estimated 6.2 million children under 18 years; of which 4 million suffered from an asthma attack or episode in 2004." I currently work with what they call emergency inhalers for asthma patients. We are actually working on an all new product at this time. These are not new products by any stretch of the imagination, but the pharmaceutical companies believe that the market for emergency inhalers will possibly double by 2020, and probably exceed that. This is a problem that can be directly attributed air pollutants and allergens. If you have ever either had a child, or been around one that was struggling to breathe because of asthma, then you know how serious a problem this really is.

but if you still need more.. check some of these links
Childhood Asthma Still Increasing
ICES Asthma study
Rise in childhood asthma
The environment and asthma in U.S. inner cities.