Air pollution likely to cut 9 years of life expectancy of Indians

A new study has claimed that air pollution is likely to reduce the life expectancy of about 40 per cent of Indians by more than nine years. It has been conducted by Energy Policy Institute of University of Chicago.

The study said that more than 480 million people living in central, eastern and northern India, including Delhi, endure significantly high pollution levels. It also said that India’s high levels of air pollution have “alarmingly expanded geographically over time”.

The report particularly highlighted the situation in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, where an average person is now losing an additional 2.5 to 2.9 years of life expectancy.

To arrive at the life expectancy number, the researchers compared the health of people exposed to different levels of long-term air pollution and applied the results to various places in India and elsewhere.

In 2019, India’s average particulate matter concentration was 70.3 microgram per cubic meter (μg/m3 ), the highest in the world and seven times the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guideline of 10 μg/m3, the report said.

Lauding India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019 to rein in dangerous pollution levels, the report said that “achieving and sustaining” the NCAP goals would raise the country’s overall life expectancy by 1.7 years and that of New Delhi 3.1 years.
- Hindustan Times, 1 Sept, 2021