Study Highlights Air Pollution as Significant Threat to Life Expectancy in South Asia
According to a report released on Tuesday, the growing impact of unhealthy air on health can reduce life expectancy in South Asia, one of the world’s most polluted regions, by more than five years per person.
According to the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute’s (EPIC) most recent Air Quality Life Index, the region—which includes the world’s most polluted nations of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan—is responsible for more than half of the total number of years of life lost worldwide due to pollution.
In South Asia, where particle pollution levels are already more than 50% higher than at the turn of the century and now eclipse hazards posed by greater health threats, rapid industrialisation and population increase have led to decreasing air quality.
In Bangladesh, the world’s most polluted nation, people stand to lose an average of 6.8 years of life, compared to 3.6 months in the United States, according to the study, which uses satellite data to assess the effect of a rise in airborne fine particles on life expectancy.
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Global Pollution Rise
According to the report, India is to blame for nearly 59% of the increase in global pollution since 2013 as some of the nation’s most polluted districts risk further reducing life expectancy. The average life expectancy has decreased by more than 10 years in New Delhi, the megacity with the highest pollution levels in the world.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended levels for lung-damaging airborne particles, or PM 2.5, may increase life expectancy by 2.3 years, or a total of 17.8 billion life years, according to the analysis.
According to the findings, Pakistani residents would live 3.9 years longer on average if the WHO limits to limit average annual PM 2.5 concentration to 5 micrograms per cubic meter were followed, while Nepalese citizens would live 4.6 years longer.
According to the research, China has sought to cut pollution by 42.3% between 2013 and 2021, underscoring the necessity for countries to produce easily accessible air quality data to assist close global gaps in access to pollution-fighting instruments.
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Source: Reuters
