New Delhi: Worldwide, pollution kills at least nine million people every year and threatens the continuing survival of humans, according to a new landmark study. The report showed that pollution in some form - air, water, soil, chemical or occupational pollution - is responsible for the diseases that kill one in every six people around the world, adding that the true total could be millions higher because the impact of many pollutants is poorly understood.
Perhaps, airborne particulate matter pollution is by far the greatest current environmental risk to health, leading to respiratory and heart disease, strokes and lung cancer. Currently, an estimated 4.5 billion people around the world are exposed to levels of particulate pollution that are at least twice what the World Health Organisation considers safe.
The researchers have come up with a MAP based on new findings that show - depending on where you live - how many years of life that gritty air is stealing and how much longer you live if countries reduced air pollution to comply with their own national standard or the WHO standard.
India, which is one of the most polluted countries in the world, can add four years to the average life of people by just meeting the international air-quality standards, according to a study released by the Energy Policy Institute at The University of Chicago (EPIC).
In the study, the researchers, who used "Air-Quality-Life Index (AQLI)" to analyse condition in 50 most polluted Indian cities, also found that meeting the international standards can add nine years and national standards can add six years to the life of people of Delhi - the most polluted city of India.
The AQLI reveals that if India reduced its air pollution to comply with the WHO's air quality standard, its people could live about 4 years longer on average, or a combined more than 4.7 billion life years, the study stated.
AQLI is a tool which can be used to quantify the number of years that air pollution reduces lifespans around the globe.
If the country reduced pollution to comply with its national standards, its people could live more than 1 year longer on average, or a combined more than 1.6 billion life years, the study added.
According to the scientists, life expectancy is reduced by about seven months with every additional 10µg/m³ of PM10 in the air. The researchers also estimate that an additional increase of 10 μg/m3 of PM2.5 shortens the lifespan of around one year, compared with seven months for PM10.
While the standards prescribed by the WHO for PM 2.5 is 10 units, the Indian standard keeps it at 40 units.
Meanwhile, with stubble burning increasing in neighbouring states and wind speed dropping, air quality in Delhi and NCR worsened further on Wednesday with all active monitoring stations of SAFAR recording "very poor" air quality.
