Air pollution killed an estimated 7 million people
around the world in 2012, making it the biggest environmental health
risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
“The
risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or
understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes,” said WHO
public health chief Maria Neira.
The situation was
worst in developing and emerging countries in Southern Asia, South-East
Asia and East Asia, where a total of 3.3 million deaths were linked to
indoor air pollution and 2.6 million to outdoor pollution, the WHO said.
Use of wood, coal or dung for cooking is the biggest indoor polluter.
In Europe’s industrialised countries, 279,000 deaths could be traced to air pollution.
The
WHO said bad air quality outside was a result of unsustainable policies
in the transport, energy and waste sectors, as well as in industry.
Cleaning up the air would reduce risks, especially for vulnerable children and the elderly, the UN health body said.
The Hindu
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