Air Pollution Deaths In India Up From 4.3 Million To 7.3 Million In 10 Years: Lancet

New Delhi: Stubble burning, Diwali fire crackers – north India, especially Delhi and NCR, dreads the period between October and December when air quality worsens to such an extent that living in the national Capital becomes a nightmare.

Amidst another winter of severe air pollution comes the alarming report that long-term exposure to air pollution is claiming millions of lives in India. And the number of deaths is rising.

A study conducted by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet has revealed that the number of deaths linked to air pollution increased from 4.5 million in 2009 to 7.3 million in 2019.

The research, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, has called for urgent action to tighten air quality regulations across India.

The study focused on tiny air pollution particles known as PM2.5, which are smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter and can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, posing serious health risks.

The researchers used data from 655 districts from different parts of India between 2009 and 2019, and sought to corelate PM2.5 levels with mortality rates.

The study found that for every 10 micrograms per cubic metre increase in PM2.5 levels, there was an 8.6% rise in deaths. Over the decade-long period of reference, 3.8 million deaths were attributed to air pollution levels exceeding India’s air quality guideline of 40 micrograms per cubic metre.

The study estimated that 16.6 million deaths — nearly a quarter of all deaths during the study period — can be linked to air pollution.

More shockingly, every person in India lives in areas where PM2.5 levels exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, with some regions recording 119 micrograms per cubic metre – almost 24 times the safe limit prescribed by WHO.

“The current air quality guidelines in India are not enough to safeguard health. Stricter regulations and decisive measures to cut emissions are urgently needed,” said Petter Ljungman, a lead researcher at Karolinska Institutet.

The lowest level of PM2.5 (11.2 micrograms per cubic metre) in 2019 was recorded in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district, while the highest level (119.0 micrograms per cubic metre) was found in Ghaziabad, and Delhi in 2016.

The researchers emphasised that local emission reduction plans need to be coupled with strategies to address long-range air pollution, as PM2.5 particles can travel hundreds of kilometres.

“This study provides critical evidence to support the creation of stronger air quality policies, both in India and globally,” Ljungman advocated.