In the News
November 26, 2018
The effect of pollution on life expectancy in India is worse than that of HIV/AIDS, cigarette smoking, and even terrorism, according to a study which found that Indians would live 4.3 years longer if the country met the WHO guidelines.
According to the new Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), developed by researchers at University of Chicago in the US, particulate air pollution cuts global average life expectancy by 1.8 years per person.
The AQLI reveals that India and China, which make up 36 per cent of the world’s population, account for 73 per cent of all years of life lost due to particulate pollution.
On average, people in India would live 4.3 years longer if the country met the WHO guideline — expanding the average life expectancy at birth there from 69 to 73 years.
The AQLI establishes particulate pollution as the single greatest threat to human health globally, with its effect on life expectancy exceeding that of devastating communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, behavioural killers like cigarette smoking, and even war.
Critically, the AQLI reports these results in tangible terms that are relatable for most people.