Recent studies by the IIT-Delhi, St. Johns Medical College in Bengaluru, and other institutions have shown a link between anemia risk in women of reproductive age and long-term exposure to air pollution caused by high PM2.5 levels. But the common belief was that malnutrition was a significant contributing factor to anaemia. The research results were released in the journal "Nature Sustainability."

The study considered the whole of India and found that the risk of anaemia in women increased by more than 7.2% as PM2.5 concentration rose by 10 micrograms per cubic metre. Researchers linked this conclusion to excessive inflammation caused by air pollution, which further lowers the bodys ability to absorb iron. They stated that only increasing iron intake might not be enough to reduce iron deficiency since inflammation brought on by prolonged PM2.5 exposure might prevent the iron from being absorbed.

According to the National Family and Health Survey 2015-2016 in India, 58.5% of children under the age of five and 53.1% of women in reproductive age (15 to 49 years) were anaemic.

Professor Sagnik Dey of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air, IIT Delhi, stated that the aim of The Union Health Ministrys mission "Anaemia Mukt Bharat," to reduce anaemia prevalence from the current 53% to 35%, could be easily accomplished, if two other programs, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), met their goals.

By 2025, NCAP aims to lower PM2.5 by 30%, whereas PMUY aims to reduce home emissions by using LPG for cooking. According to Dey, if both of these programs are effective, the prevalence of anaemia will drop to 39%, which is quite near the desired level. (ETHealthWorld, Aug 27, 2022)