Short-term exposure to air pollution kills more than a million people globally every year, according to a study.
Researchers at Monash University in Australia looked at mortality and levels of PM2.5 – a harmful pollutant - in over 13,000 cities and towns across the globe in the two decades to 2019.
They found that breathing in PM2.5 for even a few hours, and up to a few days, results in more than one million premature deaths occurring worldwide every year, particularly in Asia and Africa.
More than a fifth (22.7 per cent) of fatalities occurred in urban areas, the study found.
Asia accounted for around 65.2 per cent of global mortality due to pollution exposure, followed by Africa (17 per cent) and Europe (12.1 per cent).
To mitigate the impact of air pollution, the study’s authors recommend implementing targeted health interventions in areas where health is most affected by acute air pollution, such as installing air pollution warning systems.
PM2.5 is contained in exhaust fumes, building and industry materials. Previous research has linked the pollutant to higher blood pressure in London teenagers.
Air pollution particles are inhaled into the body and can get into the bloodstream, causing damage to blood vessels and airways. Damage to organs when children are aged between 11 to 16 could lead to lifelong complications, clinicians have warned.
More than a million under 18s in the UK live in neighbourhoods where air pollution is higher than the recommended health standards.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has made reducing air pollution one of his key policy priorities and recently expanded the ultra low emission zone to all 32 of the capital’s boroughs to improve the capital’s air.
Drivers of non-compliant vehicles must now pay £12.50 per day for travelling within the zone.
The Standard has backed “Ella’s Law”, a bill that will enshrine the human right to clean air in law. It is named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death
