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India’s 1.24 Mil Air Pollution Deaths

December 9, 2018 | Expert Insights

A Lancet Study says 26% of global premature death and disease burden by air pollution occurs in India.

According to the study, India's average life expectancy would be higher by 1.7 years if the air quality was at healthy levels.

Background

The Lancet began as an independent, international weekly general medical journal founded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley. The weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal is among the world's oldest, and best known general medical journals.

According to Lancet, out of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, nine are in India. This is based on a comparison of the average amount of PM2.5, which alludes to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that have a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres. These particles are small enough for humans and animals to inhale them, have the capacity to bypass the nose and throat and penetrate deep into the lungs, occasionally even entering the circulatory system.

Studies have found a close link between exposure to PM2.5 particles and premature death from heart and lung disease. Fine particles are also known to trigger or worsen chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. 

The city of Kanpur in northern India has an annual PM2.5 level of 173 micrograms per cubic meter, far higher than the WHO's recommendation of no more than 10 mcg per cubic meter. Coal-fired plants that provide more energy and increasing traffic have exacerbated air pollution to the point, that the country now faces an air quality crisis.

Analysis

India's toxic air has claimed 1.24 million lives in 2017, or 12.5 percent of total deaths recorded in the year.

A study published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal on 7 December said more than 51 percent of the people who died because of air pollution were younger than 70. Of the total, about 670,000 died from air pollution in the wider environment and 480,000 from household pollution related to the use of solid cooking fuels. The Indian capital, New Delhi, was most exposed to PM 2.5

This report was more optimistic than a recent report by the University of Chicago which said prolonged exposure to pollution reduces the life expectancy of an Indian by over four years.

The Lancet study said India has a higher proportion of global health loss due to air pollution, at 26.2 percent of the world's total when measured in deaths and disability than its 18.1 percent share of the world's population.  "The findings suggest that the impact of air pollution on deaths and life expectancy in India might be lower than previously estimated but this impact is still quite substantial," the study said.

The study, conducted by academics and scientists from various institutions in and outside India, was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Indian government and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said India was home to the world's 14 most polluted cities.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT), India's environmental watchdog, slapped the Delhi government with a $3.5m fine for failing to enforce rules to reduce smog. The NGT penalised the capital's administration for its lack of oversight after it emerged that some polluting industries were still burning harmful waste in the open.

Counterpoint

Delhi, which has shut down power plants and banned heavy trucks from the city in a bid to curb smog, has accused other states of not playing their part. In particular, the capital has blamed governments in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana for crop fires that burn every year, sending smoke eastward.

Assessment

Our assessment is that if there is no policy intervention, and if India follows along its current trajectory, the effects will be devastating. We believe that designing more compact cities to reduce transportation demands, and a gradual shift to green vehicles are approaches worth exploring.

We feel that avert death and displacement in the years ahead, the rapidly developing country will need to slash its carbon emissions by switching to solar power and other cleaner energy sources. Whether India succeeds in such an energy renaissance will likely determine the future of its people, and to a certain degree, the world.