In the News
August 30, 2023
A new study has made some frightening revelations about the harmful impact of air pollution on people living in South Asian countries.
The study conducted by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) was published on Tuesday. It said that increasing air pollution can cut life expectancy by more than five years per person in the region.
The countries at risk are also some of the most polluted countries in the world, such as Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
The study states that people in Bangladesh can lose 6.8 years of life on average per person due to air pollution, as opposed to people in countries like the United States, who stand to lose 3.6 months of their lives.
The situation is no better in India, which is responsible for about 59% of the world’s increase in pollution since 2013, added the report. The average life span of people residing in India’s capital, New Delhi, may be reduced by around 11.9 years.
“Reducing global levels of lung-damaging airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could raise average life expectancy by 2.3 years, or a combined 17.8 billion life years,” read an excerpt from the report.
PM 2.5 are tiny particles in the air that can enter the lungs and bloodstream. The PM 2.5 limit set by the World Health Organization is 5 μg/m3. However, most countries have failed to meet the WHO-prescribed limits.
“An average resident of Pakistan would gain 3.9 years from meeting the WHO guidelines of limiting average annual PM 2.5 concentration to 5 micrograms per cubic metre, while someone in Nepal would live 4.6 years longer if the guideline was met,” it added.