Number Of Deaths Due To Air Pollution In India: Air pollution in India is no longer just an environmental concern, but has become a serious public health crisis for the country. Experts say that polluted air is taking away the lives of millions of people every year and its effect is also silently weakening the economy. Recently, during the World Economic Forum held in Geneva, economist Geeta Gopinath expressed serious concern on this issue. He told that about 17 lakh deaths occur every year due to air pollution in India. This means that almost one in five deaths in the country is linked to polluted air.

If we look at this figure on a daily basis, the situation becomes even more scary, every day in India an average of 4,657 people are losing their lives due to poisonous air.

Big impact on health as well as economy

According to experts, diseases caused by air pollution are not limited to hospitals only, but it also has a direct impact on the productivity and economy of the country. According to a report, India has to suffer billions of dollars of economic loss every year due to premature deaths and diseases related to pollution. In the year 2019 alone, the country suffered a loss of more than $28 billion due to premature deaths related to pollution, while the economic loss related to diseases was estimated at $8 billion. Overall this loss was 36.8 billion dollars, i.e. about 1.36 percent of India’s GDP.

PM2.5 becomes the biggest threat

A World Bank report released last week said that 100 percent of India’s population is exposed to harmful PM2.5 particles. PM2.5 is considered the most dangerous air pollutant, which comes from many sources and causes harm by going directly into the lungs.

Direct effect on heart, lungs and brain

According to WHO, air pollution increases the risk of serious diseases like stroke, heart disease, chronic lung disease, lung cancer and pneumonia manifold. Breathing in excessive pollution, not only for a long time, but even for a short period of time can cause problems like asthma attacks, shortness of breath and reduced lung capacity. According to the study, polluted air can prove to be even more dangerous for pregnant women. Due to this, problems like birth of low weight child, premature delivery and hindrance in the development of the child are being seen.

The crisis is increasing every year

According to a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, if air quality in India had met WHO standards, about 15 lakh additional deaths could have been prevented every year. According to the report, burning of fossil fuels alone causes around 7.5 lakh deaths every year. This includes about 4 lakh deaths due to coal and about 3.5 lakh deaths due to burning of biomass. Experts say that even short-term exposure to polluted air can cause respiratory problems, asthma and affect lung function. Whereas due to prolonged exposure, the risk of serious diseases related to heart, brain and lungs increases manifold.

Also read: Is the habit of cracking the neck a risk of stroke, the physician told – when does this problem increase?

Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

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