“More than 5.5 million people worldwide are dying prematurely every year as a result of air pollution, according to new research. Most of these deaths are occurring in the rapidly developing economies of China and India. The main culprit is the emission of small particles from power plants, factories, vehicle exhausts and from the burning of coal and wood.
“In Beijing or Delhi on a bad air pollution day, the number of fine particles (known as PM2.5) can be higher than 300 micrograms per cubic metre,” explained Dan Greenbaum from the Health Effects Institute, in Boston, US. “The number should be about 25 or 35 micrograms.”
“…In India, the problem that draws particular attention is the practice of burning wood, dung, crop residues and other materials for cooking and heating. This “indoor pollution” causes far more deaths than “outdoor pollution.” And looking at the broad economic trends in India, the research team says the country runs the risk of having even poorer air quality in the future.” BBC News. Read it on delhiair.org. The data was compiled as part of the Global Burden of Disease Project.
Polluted air causes 5.5 million deaths a year new research says
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