Cairo: Hani Kamal El Din
A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that long-term exposure to air pollution is leading to millions of deaths in India. The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, highlights the need for stricter air quality standards in the country. Particulate matter (PM2.5) that is smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter can enter the lungs and bloodstream and poses a serious health threat to the population of India. The researchers looked at the association between these particles and mortality over a ten-year period. The study is based on data from 655 districts in India between 2009 and 2019. “We found that for every 10 micrograms per cubic metre increase in PM2.5, mortality increased by 8.6 per cent,” said Petter Ljungman, author of the latest study and a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. The study looked at the relationship between changes in air pollution levels and mortality. The results suggest that about 3.8 million deaths during this period could be attributed to air pollution levels above India’s air quality guidelines of 40 micrograms per cubic metre. When compared to the stricter World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of just 5 micrograms per cubic metre, the figure rises to 16.6 million deaths. That’s nearly 25 per cent of all deaths during the study period. The study also highlights that India’s entire population lives in areas where PM2.5 levels exceed WHO guidelines. That means nearly 1.4 billion people are exposed to air pollution that can have adverse health effects every year. In some areas, levels reached 119 micrograms per cubic metre, well above what the WHO and India consider safe. “The results of the study show that current regulations in India are not sufficient to protect health. Stricter regulations and measures to reduce emissions are essential,” says Petter Ljungman. Since 2017, the Indian government has been implementing a national air pollution control program to improve air quality, but the study shows that PM2.5 concentrations continue to increase in many areas. The researchers emphasize the importance of both reducing emissions at the local level and taking into account the long-range effects of air pollution – PM2.5 particles can travel hundreds of kilometers.
