The devastating cost of pollution
Pollution around the world claims an estimated 9 million lives a year—more than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined—a major new study has found. In the most comprehensive global analysis of the issue to date, an international team of researchers collected data from more than 130 countries on the causes of disease and premature deaths. They found that contaminated air, water, soil, and workplaces kill 1 in 6 people worldwide. Air pollution is the biggest culprit: In 2015, 6.5 million fatal cases of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other respiratory illnesses were tied to poor air quality stemming from sources such as cars, power plants, and wood-burning stoves. Tainted water caused gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic infections that killed 1.8 million people, the report found. Noxious work environments, such as coal mines and dye factories, were associated with 800,000 deaths. The vast majority of pollution-related mortality—nearly 92 percent—occurs in poor or rapidly industrializing countries. But the study’s authors warn that pollution is a costly issue for the whole world: They estimate the price tag for health-care expenses associated with pollution-related disease in 2015 was $4.6 trillion, or more than 6 percent of global GDP. “Pollution is much more than an environmental challenge,” study leader Philip Landrigan tells BBC.com. “It is a profound and pervasive threat that affects many aspects of human health and well-being.”