Air pollution damages lung health, increases the risk of heart disease and contributes to respiratory diseases.
Across India, an increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter in annual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with an 8.6% increased risk of mortality. (1✔ ✔Trustworthy source
Estimating the effect of annual PM2·5 exposure on mortality in India: a difference-in-differences approach
) The study, published in the journal Planetary Health Lancet, revealed that long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution concentrations greater than 5 micrograms The annual average per cubic meter recommended by WHO is potentially associated with 1.5 million deaths per year in India.
PM2.5 pollution: a national health crisis
“High levels of annual exposure to PM2.5 are observed in India, causing a huge mortality burden (not limited to cities that are highlighted during extreme pollution episodes), indicating the need for a systematic approach and not symptomatic,” said Suganthi Jaganathan, a doctoral researcher. , Center for Health Analytics Research and Trends (CHART), Ashoka University.
The study noted that the risk is high even with lower levels of air pollution. This indicates the need to reduce air pollution levels across the country. Unlike previous studies, this study used PM2.5 exposure from a fine spatiotemporal model built for India and annual mortality counts reported across all districts in India.
During the study period (2009 to 2019), 25 percent of all deaths (about 1.5 million deaths per year) were attributed to annual PM2.5 exposure above the WHO guideline. About 0.3 million annual deaths are also attributed to annual exposure to PM2.5 above India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The exposure-response function revealed a higher incremental risk of mortality at lower PM2.5 concentrations and a plateau at higher PM2.5 concentrations.
“Delhi may end up in the headlines, but this is an all-India problem and national efforts are needed. Coal-burning power plants need scrubbers, crop burning needs to be limited, and most importantly, we need urgent action to protect people’s health,” said Joel Schwartz, professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and researcher. US principal for CHAIR-India Consortium.
The study was led by the CHAIR-India consortium, established in May 2019, comprising leading Indian academic institutions such as the Center for Health Analytics Research and Trends (CHART) at Ashoka University, the Center for Disease Control Chronicles (CCDC) and global organizations. institutions such as Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden), Harvard University, Boston University, among others.
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Reference:
- Estimating the effect of annual PM2·5 exposure on mortality in India: a difference-in-differences approach – (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00248-1/fulltext)
Source-IANS
