Pollution Responsible for Diseases That Kill One in Six People Globally
Pollution is responsible for an estimated nine million deaths worldwide, according to a new report in the leading medical journal The Lancet.
According to this groundbreaking report, pollution in air, water, and soils caused more than 400,000 deaths which represents 7.8% of all deaths in EU. Germany, Italy, the UK, Poland and France rank the highest in terms of number of deaths attributable to pollution.
Aside from that, most deaths are caused by diseases due to pollution which are non-communicable (NCD). Heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are examples of NCD.
The Lancet report on Pollution and Health is the first comprehensive analysis of all forms of pollution and their health, economic and social impacts.
Pollution is Deadly
Pollution is a prevailing problem around the world. Its impact on communities can be deadly. Whether water pollution or air pollution, the effects are both catastrophic to the world’s communities.
With regards to air pollution, dirty air is almost everywhere in the world. Air pollution is affecting a majority of the global population. Dirty air is more prominent in the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean region, sub-Saharan countries and Southeast Asia, according to an air quality map released recently by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO says, based on the interactive map, 92% of the world’s population lives in places where outdoor air quality fails to meet guidelines.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) placed outdoor air pollution among the top ten health risks faced by humans. Outdoor pollution caused seven million premature deaths a year.
The problem is especially evident in urban cities. WHO classifies outdoor air pollution as being as carcinogenic to humans in October 2013 as smoking in February 1985.
In London, WHO reported that air pollution kills more than 10-times the number of people dying from road traffic accidents. There were an estimated 3.7 million premature deaths in 2012.
