June 8, 2016.
India is losing years of life expectancy. According to a recent study, air pollution is responsible for many premature deaths. Some states are particularly concerned.
Uttar Pradesh particularly affected by pollution
Air pollution costs Indians dearly. According to a study carried out by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), and published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the population would have lost 6.4 years of life expectancy due to poor air quality. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra would be particularly affected and experience a very large number of premature pollution-related deaths.
To arrive at this observation, the scientists worked from data collected during the census carried out in 2011, and succeeded in determining the figure of “premature mortality” from exposure to particulate matter across the country. The report, dubbed “Premature mortality caused by PM2.5 (the finest suspended particles, editor’s note) and by exposure to ozone in India ”, further indicates that Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 15% of pollution-related deaths in the country. Maharashtra comes in second, with 10% of recorded deaths.
Fine particles singled out by science
Sachin Ghude, researcher at IITM and co-author of this study, however relativized these figures, affirming that ” although these results agree with other global estimates, such as those from the World Health Organization (WHO) […], there is no real way to determine who was actually killed by air pollution “.
PM2.5, which are mainly emitted by vehicles, would be the main cause of many chronic lung diseases. This air pollution does not only affect the lungs and can also be responsible for many heart disorders.
Read also: Air pollution increases the risk of cancer
