A recent extensive study revealed that more than seven percent of deaths in ten major Indian cities can be attributed to air pollution, underscoring a pressing need for immediate action to prevent tens of thousands of deaths annually.
Cities like Delhi, among the most polluted worldwide, suffer severely from harmful air quality, impacting residents’ respiratory health and posing a growing threat to public well-being, as researchers continue to uncover its full extent.
Conducted by an Indian-led team, the study focused on levels of PM2.5 pollutants, known to cause cancer, across cities including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla, and Varanasi. Over the period from 2008 to 2019, the study linked more than 33,000 deaths each year to PM2.5 exposure exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 15 micrograms per cubic meter.
According to findings published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, these deaths account for 7.2 percent of total deaths recorded in those cities during the study period. Delhi reported the highest impact, with approximately 12,000 annual deaths attributed to air pollution, representing 11.5 percent of all deaths.
Even cities traditionally perceived as less polluted, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, demonstrated significant mortality rates linked to air pollution, highlighting the widespread nature of the issue. Researchers urged for stricter air quality standards in India, emphasizing that the current national guideline of 60 micrograms per cubic meter for PM2.5 is four times higher than WHO’s recommended limit.
Joel Schwartz, a co-author from Harvard University, emphasized the urgency of adopting and enforcing effective pollution control measures already in use elsewhere, asserting that such actions could save tens of thousands of lives annually.
The World Health Organization has noted that nearly every person on Earth breathes air containing higher levels of pollution than recommended, contributing to serious health conditions like strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and other respiratory ailments.