India tops world in pollution deaths in 2015

The overall findings of the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health (2017) were covered in a previous blog post. This post is about the references to India in the Report. The figures are based on data obtained from more than 75 Indian sites.

Main points on pollution and health in India and the other developing countries:

·      While almost all (92%) pollution-related deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, the greatest impacts are seen in countries that are undergoing rapid development and industrialisation — with pollution responsible for up to one in four deaths in the most severely affected countries like India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Madagascar and Kenya.

·      India and Bangladesh recorded the largest increases in pollution-related deaths among the 10 most populous countries for the year.

·      In 2015, the maximum number of deaths due to pollution occurred in India (25 lakh) followed by China (18 lakh). Thus, nearly a quarter of global fatalities due to pollution were in India.

·      Air pollution alone killed more than 18 lakh lives in India. Most of these deaths were caused by heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, triggered by pollution.

·      More than 50% of global deaths due to ambient air pollution in 2015 occurred in India and China.

·      Particulate matter pollution in the air was severe in several cities in India and China: Average annual concentrations of PM 2.5 (particulates less than 2.5 microns in width) were greater than 100 microgrammes per cubic metre.

·      Water pollution killed nearly 6.46 lakh Indians, while other forms of pollution, including passive smoking and exposure to lead, resulted in the death of another 1.68 lakh people.