June 21, 2024
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Air pollution contributed to 8.1 million deaths in 2021 — more than one in eight deaths worldwide, says a report by the State of Global Air (SoGA) released recently.
Children have been the worst affected by air pollution levels globally. Researchers found that after malnutrition among children under five years, air pollution has in fact been the second leading risk factor for death during 2021. Exposure to air pollution was linked to more than 700,000 deaths of children in that age group, with other health effects including premature birth, low birth weight, asthma, and lung diseases. A staggering 500,000 of these child deaths were linked to household air pollution due to cooking indoors with polluting fuels, the report states, mainly in Africa and South Asia.
NOXIOUS GASES
The threat of air pollution is not new, and it continues to mount as it merges with the threats posed by global climate change, with the burning of fossil fuels and biomass contributing greatly to greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the planet to warm. The report examines three main types of global air pollution, i.e. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone, and PM2.5 , i.e. airborne particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (less than a 30th of the diameter of a human hair.) These particles are emitted from vehicles, residential fuel use, coal-burning power plants, agricultural and industrial activities, waste burning, wildfires, and many other human and natural sources. PM 2.5 is the most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes across, being the largest driver of air pollution’s burden of disease worldwide.
AFFECTED REGIONS
According to the report, countries in South Asia and Africa experience the largest burden of disease linked to air pollution. With populations over one billion each, India (2.1 million deaths) and China (2.3 million deaths) together account for 54% of the total global disease burden. Other countries with high impacts include Pakistan (256,000 deaths), Myanmar (101,600 deaths), and Bangladesh (236,300 deaths) in South Asia. The levels of ambient PM2.5 in these regions are 1.3 – 4 times higher than the global average.
The report highlighted that air pollution contributed to the deaths of more than 700,000 children under the age of five, and more than 500,000 of those deaths were attributed to cooking indoors using dirty fuels such as coal, wood or dung, mostly in Africa and Asia.
In Pakistan, deaths of more than 68,000 children under five were air pollution-related.
The study finds that ozone levels too are estimated to be 30 percent to 70 percent higher today than they were 100 years ago. This trend reflects increased emissions of ozone precursors, which are produced via the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants, factories, and homes and through industrial activities (such as oil and gas extraction and processing.) Ozone, a greenhouse gas, is not released directly into the air but is formed through chemical interactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. Ozone exposures can be especially higher in urban areas, particularly during warmer months. Heat waves can worsen ozone pollution, threatening human health and crop yields.
Pakistan is among the countries with the highest average ozone exposures in 2020, experiencing increases of more than 10 percent over the last decade, according to the SoGA report. Nepal, India and Bangladesh are also included in this list, besides Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.
Traffic is a major source of NO2. In contrast to PM 2.5, high-income countries see some of the highest levels of NO2, which is most common in cities. Its concentration is greatest in the Americas, Europe, and Far East.
The statistics presented in the report highlight an urgent need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate air pollution worldwide. Policymakers, health professionals, and environmental organizations must collaborate to implement measures that reduce pollutant emissions, promote clean energy alternatives, and enhance public awareness about the dangers of air pollution. Furthermore it says the international community must provide support to countries struggling with high pollution levels, ensuring that they have the resources and technology needed to tackle this crisis effectively.