A team of scientists on Tuesday revealed that since 2015, more than 9 million people have died due to pollution exposure, including worsening outdoor air pollution and lethal lead poisoning.

According to a recent study published in the online journal Lancet Planetary Health, air pollutants from industrial operations, along with urbanization, caused a 7% increase in pollution-related fatalities from 2015 to 2019. Previous data from 2017 estimated, that pollution killed over 9 million people each year, which is comparable to smoking, while the COVID-19 pandemic has killed about 6.7 million people globally since it began.

A rise of 66% was observed in pollution-related deaths since 2000, due to exposure to pollutants such as heavy metals, agrochemicals, emissions from fossil fuels, tainted water and soil, and low-quality indoor air. The survey identified ten countries including Chad, the Central African Republic, Niger, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, North Korea, Lesotho, Bulgaria, and Burkina Faso being affected maximum.

Between 2000 and 2019, state measures to reduce indoor air pollution and enhance sanitation contributed to a decrease in mortality tolls by two-thirds in Ethiopia and Nigeria. In 2016, the Indian government initiated providing gas stove hookups to replace wood stoves. Cities like Bangkok, China, and Mexico have shown some improvement in the pollution level, but pollution levels in smaller cities continue to rise.