Air pollution could be killing more people than smoking, experts fear.
Air pollution could be killing 8.8 million people worldwide each year—almost double the figure previously thought. That's according to the authors of a study, who say their findings highlight the “urgent and important” need to tackle the issue.
Fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, is the term used to describe tiny specs measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller that can be breathed into the body. It can come from sources such as burned fossil fuels and biomass, as well as dust. A strand of human hair is around 30 times larger than the biggest piece of PM2.5.
Past research indicated air pollution caused 4.5 million deaths annually worldwide. To calculate the new estimate, the researchers used an updated technique for modeling data to investigate how outdoor sources of air pollution affect death rates in Europe. “We hope to show that it is urgent and important to further reduce fine particulate matter in ambient air. The main message is that PM2.5 air pollution is a health risk factor that is comparable to other main risks such as hypertension, diabetes and tobacco smoking,” he said.
Dr. Audrey de Nazelle, from the Centre for Environment Policy at Imperial College London who did not work on the research, told Newsweek: “We know this is undeniably a major problem that needs to be tackled urgently and this paper is just one more proof of that.
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