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Particle pollution is so severe that it reduces by more than four years the life expectancy of the average Indian compared to what it would be if the guidelines of the l '. World Health Organization (WHO) on air quality were respected.
That's about two years in the late 90s because of a 69% increase in particle pollution, the University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute announced Monday (EPIC). ).
India is the second most polluted country
The EPIC said India is currently the second most polluted country in the world. The only country more polluted than India is its Himalayan neighbor, Nepal.
The life span of NCT residents and their neighbors is reduced by six years: air quality of life index
Concentrations in the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Territory of Delhi are significantly higher. The study shows that the impact on life expectancy is greater in these areas, with a shortage of six years in the average life of residents.
The new air pollution index, called the quality of life index, reduces world life expectancy by almost two years, making it the biggest threat to human health.
The tool gives figures such that – for an average resident of Delhi, life expectancy, if the WHO guidelines are met, could earn up to 10.2 years. Similarly, it gives the number of years lost due to pollution for each district of India over a period of 18 years between 1998 and 2016.
What makes AQLI unique is that it converts pollution into perhaps the most important measure that exists – life expectancy.
This is done at a hyper local level around the world. In addition, it shows how air pollution policies can increase life expectancy when they comply with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, guidelines, and guidelines. existing national standards for air quality or user defined air quality levels.
Also read | Chronic exposure to air pollution can lead to lower math scores and verbal skills
Read also | Air pollution kills 600,000 children a year, according to the WHO
The measurements of air pollution by color code do not say its effect on the well-being of people
The information provided by AQLI helps inform local communities and policy makers of the importance of air pollution policies in a very concrete way.
The loss of life expectancy is highest in Asia, exceeding six years in many parts of India and China; some US residents still lose up to one year of life due to pollution.
Particulate air pollution resulting from fossil fuels reduces the global average life expectancy of 1.8 years per person, according to the pollution index and the corresponding ratio produced by the EPIC.
"People around the world breathe in air that poses a serious risk to their health, but this risk is communicated in a very opaque and confusing way, reflecting the concentrations of air pollution in color, such as red, brown, orange and green. "Michael Greenstone, economics professor Milton Friedman and director of the EPIC, added:
"What these colors mean for the well-being of people has still not been clear."
Read also | Air quality in Delhi: experts believe the pollution control commission 's emergency plan has serious flaws
About the quality of the air and the measurement of the pollution. (Image: aqicn.org)
The life expectancy of the AQLI to measure pollution
Greenstone also noted, "My colleagues and I have developed the AQLI, where the" L "stands for" life "to address these shortcomings.It takes particulate air pollution concentrations and converts them into maybe the most important parameter that exists, the life expectancy. "
The AQLI is based on a pair of studies co-authored by Greenstone and peer-reviewed, which quantify the causal link between long-term human exposure to particulate pollution and pollution. Life expectancy.
The results of these studies are then combined with hyper-localized global measurements of particles, providing unprecedented insights into the true cost of air pollution in communities around the world.
The key takes AQLI data
Seventy-five percent of the world's population, or 5.5 billion people, live in areas where particle pollution exceeds WHO standards.
The AQLI reveals that:
- India and China, which represent 36% of the world's population, represent 73 percent of all years of life lost due to particle pollution
- On average, Indians would live an additional 4.3 years if their country adheres to WHO guidelines, increasing average life expectancy at birth from 69 to 73 years
- In the United States, about one-third of the population lives in areas not in compliance with WHO guidelines.
- Those living in the most polluted counties in the country can expect to live up to a year longer if the pollution complies with the WHO guideline
- On a global scale, the AQLI reveals that particulate pollution reduces the average life expectancy by 1.8 years, making it the biggest global threat to human health.
By comparing:
- The first-hand cigarette smoke causes a reduction in the average world life expectancy of about 1.6 years
- Alcohol and drugs reduce the life expectancy of 11 months
- Unsafe water and sanitation take off seven months later
- HIV / AIDS four months
- Conflicts and terrorism take 22 days
Thus, the impact of particle pollution on life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, twice as much as that of alcohol and drugs, three times that of smoking. unsafe water, five times that of HIV / AIDS and more than 25 times that of conflict and terrorism. .
"While people can stop smoking and take steps to protect themselves from illness, they can not do anything individually to protect themselves from the air they breathe," Greenstone said.
Read also: Air pollution in Delhi-NCR and what you can do to protect young children
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