9 Million Global Deaths Annually Attributed to Pollution
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Pollution is the largest global environmental cause of disease and premature mortality, contributing to nine million deaths in a single year, according to a newly published report in The Lancet.
A collaboration of more than 40 international experts spent 2 years studying the impact of outdoor and indoor air pollution exposure, as well as exposure to water and soil contamination and chemical pollutants to develop the report, which relied heavily on data from the Lancet Global Burden of Disease Study.
Most deaths associated with pollution are due to chronic diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the report noted.
While no country was unaffected by the health impact of pollution, 92% of pollution-related deaths were found to have occurred in low- and middle-income countries and newly industrialized countries such as Pakistan, China, India, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Kenya.
Photo courtesy of Señor Codo.
Source: MedPage Today (link opens in a new window)
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
