14 DAY TRIAL // Back in December 2012, the news broke that air pollution should be held accountable for a whopping 3.2 million yearly premature deaths worldwide. As reported at that time, China takes the lion's share when it comes to deadly health conditions developed as a result of air pollution.
In all fairness, China's coal consumption has been proven to rival that of the rest of the world, so this piece of news should not come as such a big surprise.
The Health Effects Institute has recently decided to further emphasize the fact that ambient particulate matter pollution (i.e. science talk for air pollution) is the fourth most common cause of death in China.
Thus, the news that 1.2 million premature deaths reported in China in 2010 came as a direct result of the country's citizens being exposed to significant amounts of air pollution is now making headlines.
According to Oil Price, Robert O’Keefe (i.e. the vice president of the Health Effects Institute) wished to stress the fact that only a poor diet, high blood pressure and smoking trumped ambient particulate matter pollution in terms of their ability to cause premature deaths.
Robert O'Keefe's drawing attention to this status quo has everything to do with his wishing to compel the country's leaders into taking immediate measures against this threat to public health.
As Robert O'Keefe argued back in December 2012, “There is a wide range of risks that affect global health. However, this landmark analysis places air pollution among the top risk factors in the world today with the greatest impacts among people in the developing countries of Asia, underscoring the need for effective action to reduce exposure.”
International Business Times further informs us that, apart from its taking its toll on public health, air pollution can also be argued to negatively affect China's economy.
This is because, as several investigations have shown, the country is experiencing ever more problems in terms of its ability to attract international employees.
Furthermore, it appears that an increasing number of expatriates are looking into the possibility of leaving China simply because they feel that their health is in peril.
To gain a better understanding of just how bad China's ongoing air pollution crisis is, check out this picture showing one of its latest air pollution spikes as seen from space.