Over half a million Indians died prematurely because of PM2.5 pollutants in 2015: Lancet study

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In 2015, over half a million people in India died prematurely due to the presence of pollutants of the size less than 2.5 microns i.e. PM_2.5 in the air, the latest study published in The Lancet has found. The major source of PM_2.5 pollutants is coal plants, transport vehicles, household pollution, waste, shipping, agriculture among others.

The report states that while the country recorded 524,680 premature deaths in 2015 due to air pollution caused by the presence of ultrafine particulate matter PM_2.5, "the biggest contributor was household air pollution, which was responsible for 124,207 premature deaths."

The findings establish what experts have been saying for long - that air quality in Indian households, especially in the rural areas, is lethal due to use of wood or cow dung as cooking fuel coupled with poor ventilation.

The report, 'The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change', is an account of a global study on climate change and the risks it poses in terms of temperature-related illness and death, worsening air quality, extreme weather events among others. It has been authored by doctors, academics and policy professionals from 24 organisations across the world.

Over 1.9 million people died in 21 countries in Asia in 2015 as a result of worsening air quality, especially in India and China. China, with 966,793 premature deaths topped the list, but in its case, the maximum number of deaths were caused due to industrial sources, the report said. In India’s case, apart from the deaths due to household pollution, 80,368 were from coal power plants and 50,905 from transport.

Pollutant particles PM_2.5 measure less than 2.5 microns, up to 30 times finer than the width of a human hair, can embed themselves deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, triggering respiratory or cardiovascular diseases.

"Annual average PM_2.5 concentrations in India are 59 ug/m3, with a maximum measurement of 176 ug/m3 in Gwalior. The WHO recommends that PM_2.5 concentrations do not exceed 10 ug/m3," the report said.

The corresponding standard set by the Indian authorities is 60 ug/m3.

Depleting labour

According to the 'Lancet Countdown', between 2000 and 2016, global labour capacity in populations exposed to temperature change is estimated to have decreased by 5.3 percent, with India bearing the brunt. “In 2016, this effectively took more than 920,000 people globally out of the workforce, with 418,000 of them in India alone,” it said.

"Compared with the 1986-2008 average, labour capacity (or productivity) in India has decreased by 2.85 percent on average between 2000 and 2016. This decrease has been most significant since 2015, since when labour capacity has decreased by an average of 8.25 percent," the report added.

Overall Tally

Overall, due to pollution—water, air, soil—an estimated 2.5 million people died in India in 2015, according to another study published in The Lancet. Pollution caused three times more deaths than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis put together in that year.

Pollution accounts for 16 percent of the deaths globally and 92 percent of these deaths are recorded in low and middle-income countries like India. In 2015, over 99 percent of deaths due to household air pollution and approximately 89 percent of deaths due to ambient air pollution were seen in low and middle-income countries.

(With inputs from PTI)