Pollution kills more than tobacco, malnutrition, can shorten life expectancy by two years - study

Increased exposure to air pollution reduces the average life expectancy by two years, according to a study published late last month by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). 

The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) study conducted in India, where the PM2.5 (particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter) is 40 µg/m³ on average annually, discovered that 40% of the local population breathes air that exceeds the standard of polluted air. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests an average of 5 µg/m³ annually as the standard.

The report showed that reducing the amount of PM2.5 to meet WHO guidelines could extend the average life expectancy of Indian residents by almost two years. 

The most polluted city in India is Dehli, with an average PM2.5 level of 84.3 µg/m³, according to an AQLI report in 2022.

According to the report, if Dehli were to meet the WHO guidelines, the life expectancy of its 18.7 million people could increase by nearly eight years. 

In addition, the report showed that long-term exposure to heavy air pollution reduces the life expectancy of an average Indian resident by 3.6 years, while malnutrition reduces it by 1.6 years, tobacco by 1.5 years, and unsafe water and sanitation by 8.4 months.

Global concern

A report released by the State of Global Air (SOGA) showed that air pollution is becoming the second leading global risk factor for death. 

The SOGA report's findings, released on June 19, revealed that, in addition to the millions of people living with chronic respiratory diseases, air pollution accounted for over eight million deaths globally in 2021. 

Additionally, the report found that children under the age of seven are particularly susceptible to the effects of air pollution, with a rise in asthma and other lung diseases. Roughly 700,000 children have died from prolonged exposure to polluted air, 70% of them due to household pollution from indoor cooking with polluting fuels. 

Although 94 countries have established their own PM 2.5 standards, nearly half fail to comply with them. Meanwhile, 158 countries have failed to set any standards at all. 

Economic strain

According to a Global Burden of Disease study, air pollution caused 6.4 million premature deaths globally and "93 billion days lived with illness in 2019." 

Additionally, the estimated global cost of exposure to air pollution is roughly $8.1 trillion, the equivalent of 6.1% of global GDP.

Expert Ofer Nidam explained that the new data published by the Chicago Institute indicated that some 22,000 people die from air pollution daily, presenting a more dire image than previously known. He added that such numbers require "a rapid reaction" from governments worldwide.

He referred to the economic strain such a situation entails and noted that reducing air pollution to the levels recommended by WHO will save not only lives but also economies.