New research shows that the silent killer of dirty air has become an insidious 'pandemic', even more dangerous and deadly than war, and many diseases.
Using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), researchers previously linked air pollution to an additional 8.8 million premature deaths in 2015. For all people around the world, the updated analysis now shows that huge losses have led to a drop in global life expectancy, dropping the average by nearly three years.
“Since the impact of air pollution on health in general is much greater than expected and is a worldwide phenomenon, we believe our results show that there is an 'air pollution pandemic,'” says atmospheric chemist Thomas Munzel of the Max Institute. Plank.
Of course, not all people are equally exposed to air pollution. When hazardous particles and gases remain in the atmosphere, young and old people are generally more susceptible, as are those who live in high-emission regions.
Overall, according to the authors, about 75 percent of air pollution-related deaths have occurred in people over the age of 60.
Yet, even when it comes to humanity as a whole, public health experts warn that air pollution is a serious and underestimated risk.
In 2015, all incidents of violence in the world could not come close to the effects of air pollution (these deaths only reduced life expectancy in the world by 0.3 years). Even smoking tobacco has reduced life expectancy by about a third less. And, unlike cigarettes, the surrounding air is definitely inevitable.
If all anthropogenic emissions were suddenly stopped, life expectancy would increase in just over a year worldwide: more than 5.5 million early deaths that could have been avoided every year.
Unfortunately, the opposite trend is observed in many parts of the world.
For example, in 2017 and 2018, data showed that air pollution in the United States worsened after several years of continual improvement. In 2018 alone, poor air quality was associated with almost 10,000 additional deaths compared to 2016.
Last year, a shocking WHO report showed that 93 percent of all children in the world under the age of 15 breathe toxic, polluted air.
For many, the consequences are inevitable. According to the new model, East Asia experienced the largest reduction in life expectancy from air pollution in 2015, and the vast majority of these losses could have been avoided by reducing emissions.
In North America, the average life expectancy loss was 1.4 years, and just over a year, the authors say, could have been prevented mainly by eliminating the use of fossil fuels.
In Africa, where dust is the main air pollutant, emission reductions could be as low as 0.7 years in life expectancy.
In light of their findings, the authors are asking public health officials and doctors to update their guidelines to include chronic air pollution as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as well as smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The study was published in Cardiovascular Research.
Sources: Photo: (Holger Link / Unsplash)
