Millions of Premature Deaths Tied to Rise in Air Pollution: WHO

A latest report by the World Health Organization reveals that there have been one in eight premature deaths worldwide in 2012 due to air pollution.

The new estimates provided by WHO reports 7 million premature death globally in 2012 due to exposure to air pollution, this new estimate doubles the previous estimate and confirms that the world's largest single environmental health risk factor is 'air pollution'.

This latest data highlights the strong association between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure to the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and ischemic heart diseases. Apart from air pollution causing respiratory diseases, the new report also highlights the link between air pollution and cancer. 

In South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions, nearly 3.3 million deaths occurred due to indoor air pollution and 2.6 million deaths due to outdoor air pollution.

"Cleaning up the air we breathe prevents noncommunicable diseases as well as reduces disease risks among women and vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly," Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General Family, Women and Children's Health, said in a news statement. "Poor women and children pay a heavy price from indoor air pollution since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cook stoves."

Outdoor pollution caused 40 percent of ischaemic heart diseases, 40 percent of stroke, 11 percent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 6 percent of lung cancer and 3 percent of acute lower respiratory infections. On the other hand, indoor air pollution caused 34 percent of stroke, 26 percent of ischemic heart diseases, 22 percent children suffered from acute lower respiratory infections and 6 percent of the population suffered from lung cancer.

Based on the risk factors WHO estimated that, indoor air pollution was associated with 4.3 million deaths in 2012 in households that used coal, wood and biomass stoves for cooking purposes. 

"Excessive air pollution is often a by-product of unsustainable policies in sectors such as transport, energy, waste management and industry. In most cases, healthier strategies will also be more economical in the long term due to health-care cost savings as well as climate gains," says Dr Carlos Dora, WHO Coordinator for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.

WHO announced that it will soon release guideline for indoor air quality on household fuel combustion and also country data on outdoor and indoor air pollution exposure and mortality rates related to it.