The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health published a study on the death rates due to pollution. The study explained India ranks the highest in the world with 2.5 million people dying due to pollution, in 2015.
Quickly followed by China with 1.8 million deaths in 2015. Globally the number of deaths have been recorded at 9 million, calculated as three times more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
The Lancet medical journal said one in every six people die worldwide due to pollution mainly in developing countries.
One of the authors of the study, Karti Sandilya explained the causes of pollution and the reason for the increase in pollution in developing countries. “With globalization, mining and manufacturing shifted to poorer countries, where environmental regulations and enforcement can be lax,” she was quoted saying.
Being exposed to high levels of air pollution for years together can affect the human respiratory and immune systems that can lead to heart diseases, strokes and lung cancer.
Sandilya further added,”People in poorer countries like construction workers in New Delhi are more exposed to air pollution and less able to protect themselves from exposure, as they walk, bike or ride the bus to workplaces that may also be polluted.”
The study was done with the help of 40 international scientists using data from Global Burden of Disease from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
