NEW DELHI: In India 26 per cent of global premature death and disease burden by air pollution occurs, says ‘The impact of air pollution on deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy across the states of India: the global burden of disease study 2017’.
The study reveals that one in eight deaths was attributable to air pollution in India in 2017, making it a leading cause ofdeath in the country. The death toll estimates to 12.4 lakh. Around 77 per cent of Indians
The study inferred that if the pollution levels were less than the minimal causing health loss then the average life expectancy would have been 1.7 years more. The estimated impact of air pollution on deaths, health loss and life expectancy reduction in each state is 6.7 lakh deaths due to particulate matters outdoors and 4.8 lakh deaths due to household air pollution.
Air pollution causes more deaths from Lung infections, chronic obstructive lung disease, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and lung cancer than smoking cigaretts.