Smog isn't just unpleasant - the perils of air pollution now include the very real threat of death for millions of people, with one in eight deaths in 2012 associated with declining air quality.
The figures, totaling at around 7 million pollution-related deaths annually, comes as a jolt to the system, with previous studies suggesting the number was less than half of what we now know. Though poor air quality has long been associated with respiratory diseases, the new information also suggests a stronger link between air pollution and stroke, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.
The study used a range of cutting-edge technologies to ascertain the numbers, including satellite data, ground-level measurements, pollution emission figures and precise models of how pollution behaves and spreads within the atmosphere. The results are thought to be the most accurate yet, with researchers urging adequate policy changes to ensure high air quality, intergeneration equity, and greater awareness of environmental maintenance. "The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes," said Dr. Maria Neira, director of the Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health - a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO). "Few risks have a greater impact on global health today than air pollution; the evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe."
Of the estimated seven million deaths in 2012, ischemic heart disease accounted for 40 percent of outdoor air pollution-related deaths and 26 percent of indoor air pollution-related deaths, whereas stroke accounted for 40 percent of outdoor and 34 percent of indoor deaths. Women and children were also noted as being at a higher risk of indoor air-pollution related illnesses, with low-income countries throughout southeast Asia and the western Pacific corridor witnessing 3.3 million deaths. Indoor air pollution deaths accounted for some 4.3 million deaths, largely as a result of cooking in confined spaces on wood and coal stoves.
Neira's sentiment is echoed by colleague Dr. Carlos Dora, WHO coordinator for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. "Excessive air pollution is often a by-product of unsustainable policies in sectors such as transport, energy, waste management and industry," he said. "In most cases, healthier strategies will also be more economical in the long term due to health care cost savings as well as climate gains. WHO and health sectors have a unique role in translating scientific evidence on air pollution into policies that can deliver impact and improvements that will save lives."
