1.8 million excess deaths attributable to urban air pollution in 2019
In a The Lancet Planetary Health journal study, researchers looked at PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less) - the leading environmental risk factor for disease. Inhalation increases the risk of premature death from conditions such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, lung cancer, and lower respiratory infection.
Globally, the average population-weighted PM2.5 concentration was 35 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019. This is seven times the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s 2021 annual average PM2.5 guideline. In 2019, PM2.5 was predicted to be responsible for 61 fatalities per 100,000 in cities. Although global urban average PM2.5 concentrations were consistent over this period, there were large variations by region.
Urban areas in South-East Asia (including India) saw the largest regional increases, with a 27% increase in average population-weighted PM2.5 concentration between 2000-2019. South-East Asian cities also saw the largest increase in PM2.5-attributable mortality rates over this period, increasing by 33% from 63 to 84 in 100,000 people.
In 2019, almost 1.8 million people died because the WHO 2005 guideline for annual average PM2.5 exposure was exceeded by 86% of urban dwellers (2.5 billion people). According to the study, decreasing PM2.5 concentrations in urban areas over two decades did not equate to decreasing PM2.5-attributable mortality rates, indicating that other demographic factors, such as population ageing and poor general health, are influential.
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