NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Living or working in an unhealthy environment caused almost one-quarter of all deaths worldwide in 2012, a report made public Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) found.

In that year, about 12.6 million people died due to human-caused environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposure, climate change and ultraviolet radiation, the study found.

Environmental hazards and risks wield “a devastating impact” on global health, the report said.

“A healthy environment underpins a healthy population,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, in a statement. “If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young,” she said.