A recent study by the Consortium for Climate, Health, and Air Pollution Research in India (CHAIR-India) found that PM2.5 levels exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended annual average of 5 micrograms per cubic metre are associated with 1.5 million deaths annually in India.
Air Pollution In India Is At Dangerous Levels
The findings of this study are urging nationwide action to tackle the health crisis caused by poor air quality.
Interestingly, these findings were published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
Basically, this study reveals that previous estimates of pollution-related deaths in India were significantly underestimated.
This study further calls for comprehensive measures to reduce PM2.5 levels.
When it comes to CHAIR-India, it is a global consortium of academic institutions which consists of key contributors such as Ashoka University’s Centre for Health Analytics Research and Trends (CHART), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Harvard University (USA), and Ben-Gurion University (Israel).
These findings are following the study where they used a machine learning-based spatio-temporal model to estimate PM2.5 concentrations across 1,056 locations in India.
After accommodating this data, it is further utilised in correlating with district-level mortality data from 2009 to 2019.
Here PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter that measures 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter.
Made with dust, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets, these particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, leading to respiratory and cardiovascular issues such as Lung cancer & Asthma.
These PM2.5 can be released in the environment from a number of sources such as vehicle emissions, industrial activity, crop burning, and natural phenomena like dust storms.
So far 1.4 billion Indians live in areas where PM2.5 levels exceed WHO guidelines as per the study.
A Nationwide Issue
The professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and principal investigator from the US for the CHAIR-India consortium, Joel Schwartz said, “Delhi may get the headlines, but this is a problem all over India. Nationwide efforts are needed.”
Further, this study highlighted the incremental risks of mortality as they are higher at lower PM2.5 concentrations, underscoring the need for interventions even in relatively less polluted regions.
Usually, a 10 micrograms per cubic metre increase in PM2.5 is linked to an 8.6 per cent rise in mortality risk.
Prior to this, 25 per cent of annual deaths (1.5 million) were attributed to PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO limits Between 2009 and 2019.
In numbers, approximately 0.3 million annual deaths were caused by PM2.5 exposure above India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
The doctoral researcher at Ashoka University’s CHART, Suganthi Jaganathan dairy “High PM2.5 exposure levels in India cause a significant mortality burden, not limited to urban areas. A systematic, not symptomatic, approach is needed.”
How To Avoid This?
The study highlights the urgent need for nationwide air quality management strategies, including:
1. Strengthening regulations and enforcing WHO-compliant air quality guidelines.
2. Addressing high-pollution sources such as coal-burning power plants and crop burning.
3. Expanding efforts to rural areas, which are often overlooked in air pollution control policies.
