Study Reveals That The Number Of Premature Deaths Caused By Air Pollution Could Reach 6 Million Worldwide By 2050

A study conducted by a group of scientists reveals that premature deaths brought about by air pollution could double in figures by 2050. The new study forecasts that around 6.6 million could die yearly around the world.

According to the World Health Organization's 2010 data, over 3 million people die prematurely from air pollution in year, with most of the casualties from Asia, CNN reports Wednesday.

Last year, WHO revealed that over 7 million people from all over the world died prematurely from indoor and outdoor air pollution in 2012. China recorded the highes number premature deaths at 1.36 million.

Furthermore, the study also reveals that a large increase in the number of premature deaths is expected to rise in emerging economies in Southeast Asia and the western Pacific.

Among the effects of air pollution on human health include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cerebrovascular disease (CEV), ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and lung cancer among others.

The study also reveals that heating and cooking are the biggest source of PM2.5, a particulate air pollutant that causes damage to people's health when levels in the atmosphere are high.

The next biggest contributor to air pollution is agriculture. CBS News reports writes that agriculture is "the leading source of premature deaths from air pollution in the eastern United States, Russia, Turkey, Korea and Japan and Europe."

Other factors that contribute to air pollution are traffic and power generation.

"Our study clearly shows it's important to reduce pollution emissions from residential energy use especially in Asia and, by reducing agriculture emission, air quality would improve in Europe and the eastern United States," says Dr. Jos Lelieveld, co-author of the study and professor at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.

On the other hand, Michael Jerrett from the University of California's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health describes the results as "surprising and potentially important for protecting public health globally."

"The finding is highly valuable, however, because agriculture has generally not been seen as a major source of air pollution or premature death, and because it suggests that much more attention needs to be paid to agricultural sources, by both scientists and policymakers," he wrote in an article accompanying the research study.

The study involves half a million American participants. The study's lead author says it is "particularly notable" since the data used in the analysis came from the "government and independently held sources."

"Our data add to a growing body of evidence that particulate matter is really harmful to health, increasing overall mortality, mostly deaths from cardiovascular disease, as well as deaths from respiratory disease in nonsmokers," says George Thurston, a professor of population health and environmental medicine at NYU Langone.