Study Links 1.5 Million Annual Death In India To PM2.5 Exposure
News Delhi: In a shocking revelation has come to fore that about a million and a half deaths of India every year from 2009 to 2019 is potentially linked with a long term exposure to PM2.5 (Particulate Matter) pollution. The results of The Lancet Planetary Health journal highlights the risk associated with exceeded level of PM2.5 and its impacts.
What is PM2.5?
Particulate Matter (PM) is a a common measure of air pollution, refers to particles in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter. These tiny particles, comprising dust, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets, can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. The unit μg/m³ denotes micrograms of the pollutant per cubic metre of air. The long term exposure to PM 2.5 has been associated with many health effects including all cause mortality.
Mortality risks and statistics
As per the research conducted on the effect PM2.5 exposure on mortality of India, it is revealed that the entire 1.4 billion population in Indian lives in areas with PM2.5 level exceeding the WHO guidelines(5μg/m³) .
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Also, 1.1 billion of total population, live in the areas, which are above the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQ) (40μg/m³) for annual mean PM2.5. It also revealed that a 10μg/m³ increase in annual PM2.5 rate was associated with an 8.6% higher annual morality.
The research also further reveals that 3.8 million deaths, which occurred annually are attributed to the long term exposure to PM2.5. However, the current NAAQS is comparatively lower that the WHO recommended limit. As per the WHO ambient air quality guidelines 16.5 millions deaths were attributed to the exposure of PM2.3.
In India, people living in urban and several rural areas are exposed to high PM2.5 concentrations throughout the year. According to the paper, population-weighted mean PM2.5 exposure (2000 to 2019) across India was reported at 57·3 µg/m³, with higher concentrations observed from 2010 to 2019.
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WHO revised the air quality guidelines for PM2.5 concentrations in 2021 based on mounting evidence of major health effects even at low exposure concentrations, resulting in stricter recommendations, going from not exceeding 10 µg/m³ to not exceeding 5 µg/m³ annual mean PM2.5 concentration. The Indian NAAQS are currently less than or equal to 40 µg/m³ for annual mean PM2.5 concentration.
This evidence supports the association between long term exposure to outdoor air pollutants and deaths in India. “Delhi may get the headlines, but this is a problem all over India. Nationwide efforts are needed,” said Joel Schwartz, professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and principal investigator from the US for the CHAIR-India consortium.
