According to a recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment, a prominent environmental think tank, titled “At the crossroad,” air pollution is leading to a significant decrease in life expectancy in India. The report, which aggregates studies from three different organisations, reveals that life expectancy has dropped by an alarming 2.6 years due to illnesses resulting from air pollution.
The Sources of the Report
The data in the report comes from the integrated analysis of three reputable sources: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, a publication by the WHO titled ‘Air Pollution and Child Health,’ and review papers written by scientists from the Forum of International Respiratory Societies.
Findings Overview
Air pollution has catapulted to third place as the deadliest health risk in India, positioning itself above smoking. This ranking is the combined effect of outdoor particulate matter (PM 2.5), household air pollution, and ozone. Notable findings of the report indicate that South Asians, including Indians, face reduced life expectancy due to this combined exposure to pollution.
Detailed Findings
The report suggests that exposure to outdoor particulate matter (PM) is responsible for a reduction in life expectancy by almost a year and six months. Similarly, household air pollution contributes to a decline in life expectancy by nearly one year and two months. Interestingly, household air pollution accounts for about a quarter of the outdoor air pollution in the country. Consequently, Indians face a reduction by over 2.6 years in their life expectancy, a figure noticeably higher than the global average of a 20-month life expectancy decrease.
Health Implications of Air Pollution
The harmful effects of air pollution are both acute and chronic, with the potential to affect every organ in the human body. Ultra-fine particles in the polluted air penetrate through the lungs into the bloodstream, exposing virtually all cells in the body to their detrimental effects. Essentially, air pollution may be damaging every organ and cell in the human body.
Correspondingly, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accounts for 49% of overall deaths attributable to air pollution. In descending order, other health risks include lung cancer (33% of deaths), diabetes and ischaemic heart disease (22% each), and stroke (15%).
| Disease | Percentage of Deaths Due to Air Pollution |
|---|---|
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | 49% |
| Lung Cancer | 33% |
| Diabetes | 22% |
| Ischaemic Heart Disease | 22% |
| Stroke | 15% |
Evidence of Health Risks
Recent evidence has emerged showing the considerable impact of air pollution on public health in India. As per the State of Global Air 2019 estimates, over 1.2 million Indians died prematurely due to exposure to unhealthy air in 2017. This report also reveals that approximately 80% of Indians breathe air having quality worse than that recommended by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
The Burden of Air Pollution on Children, Diabetes, and Premature Death
Air pollution poses a particular threat to the younger population. India records the highest rate of premature deaths among children under five due to toxic air. In 2016, for almost every ten deaths in children under the age of five, one was due to air pollution.
Moreover, for the first time, risks from type 2 diabetes linked to air pollution have been accounted. This is a critical finding for India where type 2 diabetes is reaching an epidemic scale. The exposure to ambient and household PM2.5 contributes meaningfully to the incidence and mortality of type 2 diabetes. Globally, PM 2.5 pollution resulted in 276,000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs from type 2 diabetes in 2017.
