Polluted air kills over 4.5 million lives each year — research

Billions of people on the planet breathe polluted air, and this causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths annually. This is stated in a new study by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

According to researcher Lorenzo Labrador, the smoke and harmful substances from the large-scale fires in the Iberian Peninsula have already reached Western Europe and could spread further across the continent. He noted that the deterioration of air quality is turning into a global threat.

The WMO reminds that pollution control measures are indeed working. Global Atmosphere Department Head Paolo Lai cited Shanghai as an example where the creation of parks, mass tree planting, and the transition of transport to electricity significantly improved the situation.

Only a few cities in the world meet the World Health Organization’s air quality recommendations. This confirms that pollution remains a serious threat to human health, — Lai emphasized.

The study also shows that forest fires exacerbate the problem by carrying dangerous particles over long distances, especially in regions with high fire rates.

Earlier, it was reported that from 1980 to 2020, air pollution caused 135 million premature deaths. Residents of countries such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, and Japan were most affected. During the study, scientists found that air pollution by PM2.5 microparticles has become one of the main causes of stroke, oncological diseases, heart and lung conditions.