POLLUTION: World’s No. 1 killer a threat to mankind
IT DISPROPORTIONATELY KILLS THE POOR AND THE VULNERABLE, STUDY FINDS
Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world, accounting for three times more deaths in 2015 than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, according to a sweeping global study published Friday in
The Lancet medical journal. The report by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health blames pollution for an estimated 9 million premature deaths, about 15 times more than all wars and other forms of violence. It concludes that pollution “endangers the stability of the Earth’s support systems and threatens the continuing survival of human societies.”
More than 40 researchers from governments and universities worldwide worked on the study funded by the United Nations, the European Union and the United States. The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal.
Pollution disproportionately kills the poor and the vulnerable, the report found. Nearly 92% of pollution-related deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries.
India leads the world in highest pollution-related deaths at 2.5 million, or 24.5% of all deaths in the country. China is second with 1.8 million, or 19.5%, and Pakistan third with 311,000 deaths, or 21.9%.
When broken down to most pollution-related deaths per 100,000 population, Somalia leads the list at 26.5% of all deaths in the country, with the Central African Republic second at 18.9% and Chad third at 25.6%.
Britain, Japan and Germany landed in the top 10 for workplace pollution-related deaths.
Pollution-related diseases take a big bite out of health care costs, the report found. Such diseases are responsible for 1% to 7% of annual health spending in high-income countries and for up to 7% of health spending in middle-income countries that are heavily polluted and rapidly developing.
“The vast majority of the pollution deaths occur in poorer nations and in some, such as India, Chad and Madagascar, pollution causes a quarter of all deaths,” according to the report. “The international researchers said this burden is a hugely expensive drag on developing economies.”
Philip Landrigan, co-leader of the commission, said the 9 million deaths a year from pollution is “pushing the envelope on the amount of pollution the Earth can carry,” The Guardian reported. Air pollution deaths in Southeast Asia are on track to double by 2050, he added.
The commission report combined data from the World Health Organization and other sources to determine that air pollution is the biggest killer, leading to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other illnesses. Outdoor air pollution, caused by vehicles and industry, is blamed for 4.5 million deaths annually and indoor air pollution, from wood and dung stoves, is linked to 2.9 million deaths.
Water pollution, often contaminated by sewage, is linked to 1.8 million deaths from gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic infections. Another 800,000 deaths are tied to workplace pollution, including exposure to toxins, carcinogens and secondhand tobacco smoke, coal-related diseases and bladder workers.
Amid the gloom, the report highlights some good news — much of the pollution can be eliminated. It noted that high-income and some middle-income countries have produced laws and regulations mandating clean air and clean water, established chemical safety policies and curbed the most flagrant forms of pollution.
To tackle the pollution problem, the study offers six recommendations, including making pollution prevention a “high priority nationally and internationally” and integrating it into country and city planning processes.
It also recommends increasing and focusing the funding and the international technical support dedicated to pollution control and establishing systems to monitor pollution and its effects on health.