14 DAY TRIAL // This March 25, the World Health Organization (WHO, for short), released a new report saying that, according to recent estimates, air pollution killed approximately 7 million people back in 2012.
These deaths were documented on a global scale, and were related to exposure to either outdoor or indoor air pollution, the organization explains.
On its website, WHO details that the deadly medical conditions that specialists have linked to exposure to air pollutants are either cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.
More precisely, the health issues said to have killed said 7 million people are as follows: ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute lower respiratory infections in children.
In the case of exposure to outdoor air pollution, WHO says that the medical conditions most often developed by individuals were ischaemic heart disease (40%) and stroke (40%).
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute lower respiratory infections in children affected 11%, 6%, and 3%, respectively, of the people said to have died in 2012 as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution.
Specialists working with the Organization further detail that, as far as exposure to indoor air pollution, i.e. pollution resulting from using wood, coal or dung as cooking fuel, is concerned, the most common causes of death were stroke (34%) and ischaemic heart disease (26%).
The rest of the individuals whose deaths were linked to indoor air pollution suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (22%), acute lower respiratory infections in children (12%) and lung cancer (6%).
All in all, WHO links 3.7 million deaths reported on a global scale in 2012 to exposure to outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution, on the other hand, is believed to be responsible for 4.3 million deaths.
Due to the fact that some of these individuals suffered exposure to both indoor and outdoor pollutants, the Organization concluded that the overall number of people killed by poor air quality in 2012 was one of approximately 7 million.
Interestingly enough, WHO says that air pollution first and foremost affects public health in low- and middle-income countries in South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions that the organization monitors.
Thus, 3.3 million deaths were linked to indoor air pollution, and 2.6 million deaths were associated with outdoor air pollution in these areas in 2012, WHO writes on its website.
Commenting on the findings of this investigation, WHO Assistant Director-General Family, Women and Children’s Health, Dr. Flavia Bustreo, said that, “Cleaning up the air we breathe prevents noncommunicable diseases as well as reduces disease risks among women and vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly.”
Furthermore, “Poor women and children pay a heavy price from indoor air pollution since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cook stoves.”
WHO Coordinator for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, Dr. Carlos Dora, on the other hand, stated as follows:
“Excessive air pollution is often a by-product of unsustainable policies in sectors such as transport, energy, waste management and industry. In most cases, healthier strategies will also be more economical in the long term due to health-care cost savings as well as climate gains.”