On Thursday, reports of the US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) stated that around 93% of India’s population were living in areas where levels of hazardous particulate matter PM2.5 were worse than the World Health Organisation’s least stringent norms and air pollution reduced life expectancy in the country by 1.5 years. 

The reports showed that India ranked fifth with 93% of its population exposed, following Egypt (1st), Pakistan (2nd), Bangladesh (3rd) with 100% of their population exposed and Nigeria on 4th with 95% population exposed to fine particulate matter. WHO’s new norms states a limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) as announced last year, but no country in the world currently meets these new guidelines. 

The Health Effects Institute (HEI) found that with an average annual population-weighted PM2.5 of 83 µg/m3 in 2019, around 9,79,700 deaths in India may be caused due to the fine particulate matter. It stated that In India, the life expectancy reduction from exposure to ambient PM2.5 (1.51 years) was greater than from all cancers (1.39 years). Both noting ambient and household PM2.5 pollution have a combined impact on life expectancy and are probing to largest threats to human health and longevity. 

In 2019, WHO linked over seven million deaths annually to various pollutants in the world and claimed that about 80% of deaths were caused by PM2.5 exposure. Inhalable PM2.5 is considered the most hazardous among all classical pollutants. The WHO had last year cut its guideline for annual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in half, from 10 ug/m3 to just 5 ug/m₃. 

The reports further said that many less developed and poorer countries face an extreme challenge in improving their air quality because they face the double burden of ambient PM2.5 air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels as well as household air pollution from indoor fires for cooking and heating. Controlling the pollution would benefit these countries the most. Even small reductions in air pollution could be beneficial for them and enhance life expectancy.

Source: ET Healthworld