Residents of Delhi, around 18 million of them, are on track to lose 11.9 years of life expectancy on an average if current pollution levels in the area persist, a new study has pointed out. The study also found that Delhi is presently the most polluted megacity in the world with average particulate pollution levels standing at 126.5 μg/m3—more than 25 times the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline.
As per the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) published by University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, which looked at the impact of air pollution on life expectancy, the average Indian resident is on track to lose 5.3 years of life expectancy in relation to a situation where the WHO PM 2.5 guideline of 5 μg/m3 is met.
A recent study published in the Lancet Planetary Health Journal showed that increased air pollution has a strong link to higher risk of antibiotic resistance.
Air pollution: North India worst hit due to population density
The study showed that while all 1.3 billion residents of India live in areas where the average particulate pollution levels are considered unsafe as per the WHO guideline, residents of the North Plains of India (Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and west Bengal), live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level is 17.4 times higher than the WHO limits.
According to findings of the study, although the particulate pollution in these regions is exacerbated by geologic and meteorological factors, human activity (vehicular, residential, and agricultural sources of air pollution) is a key contributor to the severe particulate pollution in these regions and that is likely due to the fact that the population density in these regions is nearly thrice that of the rest of the country.
How least polluted Pathankot bears foul air
“Delhi, the capital and most populous city, is the most polluted city in India and the world. Yet, even in the least polluted district in the region—Pathankot in the state of Punjab—particulate pollution is more than 7 times the WHO guideline, taking 3.1 years off life expectancy if current levels persist,” the study said.
The study pointed out that about 59 percent of the world’s increase in pollution since 2013 has come from India alone, with PM2.5 levels rising 9.5 percent in the country – between 2013 and 2021. It also said that 50 of the most polluted regions globally fall in the Northern Plains of India, facing the greatest health burden due to particulate pollution.
“Three-quarters of air pollution’s impact on global life expectancy occurs in just six countries, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Indonesia, where people lose one to more than six years off their lives because of the air they breathe,” Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and creator of the AQLI along with colleagues at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) said in a statement.
The study further pointed out that the effect of air pollution on human life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking and is more than three times that of alcohol use and unsafe water consumption, and more than five times that of transport injuries like car crashes.
Speaking about the findings of the study, Dr Naveen Dutt, additional professor, pulmonary medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur says, while many are aware of the short-term effects of air pollution, a number of people are not aware about how it affects them long-term. “This study has quantified the long-term effects of air pollution- how it affects your life expectancy or longevity. It has pointed out that meeting the WHO guideline will add 2.3 years to the average life expectancy. They have also provided a comparison with smoking, how it is as harmful to human health as smoking.”
Takeaways
- Residents of Delhi, the most polluted megacity globally, may lose about 11.9 years of life expectancy on an average if the current levels of air pollution in the city persists, a study published by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute has found.
- The study has also pointed out that 59 percent of the world’s increase in pollution since 2013 has come from India alone and that 50 of the most polluted regions globally all fall in the Northern Plains of India.
