India is now home to 18 of the 20 cities with the highest increases in PM2.5 pollution between 2010 and 2019, with New Delhi and Kolkata among the 10 hardest hit cities.
A total of 1.7 million deaths in 2019 were related to exposure to PM2.5, very small airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, according to the Zeee News portal, according to a new report.
Particulate matter includes organic chemicals, dust, soot and metals and can come from all types of combustion including cars, factories, agricultural combustion and other activities and is considered an air pollutant due to its harmful health effects.
Cities in Asia, Africa and Eastern and Central Europe suffered the greatest health impacts, but New Delhi has the highest average PM2.5 level among the world’s most populous cities, according to an analysis of air pollution and global health impacts more than seven thousand metropolises.
The Air Quality and Health in Cities report, published by the US Institute for Health Effects, combines data from satellites and models to produce the estimates and focuses on two of the most harmful pollutants, particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
Among the most populous cities in each region, New Delhi and Kolkata were among the 10 with the highest burden of PM2.5-related diseases in 2019.
India and Indonesia are seeing the largest increases in PM2.5 pollution, while China is seeing the biggest improvements.
Of the 50 urban centers with the largest increases in PM2.5, up to 41 are in India and nine in Indonesia.
On the other hand, all of the 20 cities with the largest decreases in PM2.5 pollution between 2010 and 2019 are from China.
The report finds that breathing even low levels of pollution over time can have myriad health effects, including reduced life expectancy, missed school and work, chronic illness and even death.
The document revealed that air pollution is responsible for one in nine deaths worldwide, equivalent to 6.7 million deaths in 2019, with a strong impact on the young, the elderly and those with chronic respiratory and heart diseases.
Latin Press