Pollution kills nine million each year, report finds

Air pollution, water contamination and exposure to man-made chemicals claimed nine millions live last year, a major study concludes.

Researchers discovered at least one in six deaths across the world were caused by the three forms of deadly pollution.

The biggest killer was air pollution, which accounted for 6.5 million deaths on its own, a report published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet found.

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City put the majority of the deaths down to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). 

Scroll down to find out how many people air pollution kills in your country 

Professor Philip Landrigan, co-author of the study, said: ‘Pollution is much more than an environmental challenge.

‘It is a profound and pervasive threat that affects many aspects of human health and well-being.’

He added: ‘It deserves the full attention of international leaders, civil society, health professionals, and people around the world.

‘Despite its far-reaching effects on health, the economy and the environment, pollution has been neglected in the international assistance and the global health agendas, and some control strategies have been deeply underfunded.

‘Our goal is to raise global awareness of the importance of pollution, and mobilise the political will needed to tackle it, by providing the most in-depth estimates of pollution and health available.’

Deaths: The breakdown 

In the UK, 8.39 per cent of deaths, or around 50,000, were due to pollution, a higher proportion than in many other European countries.

More than 155,000 people were killed by pollution in the US, but those deaths made up just 5.74 per cent of the country’s total.

Worldwide, the biggest impact from pollution was felt in regions undergoing rapid development and industrialization.

In the most severely affected countries, India, Pakistan and China, up to a quarter of all deaths were caused by pollution.

Around 2.5 million people in India were killed by pollution in 2015 – nearly a quarter of all deaths – and 1.8 million in China.

How was the study carried out? 

The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health was a two-year project involving more than 40 international researchers.

They were assessing a snapshot of pollution effects around the world in 2015.

Data from the Global Burden of Disease study, a huge inquiry into the leading causes of death and illness worldwide, was also used.

The biggest cause of pollution death was found to be chemicals in the air, both outside and within households.

After air pollution, the greatest hazard was contamination of water supplies and sanitation, leading to infectious disease. Unsafe water was linked to 1.8 million deaths

Outdoor pollution was chiefly caused by road traffic and industrial emissions, while indoor air pollution resulted from the burning of wood and charcoal.

Unsafe drinking water 

After air pollution, the greatest hazard was contamination of water supplies and sanitation, leading to infectious disease.

Unsafe water was linked to 1.8 million deaths, the researchers reported.

Toxic chemicals and carcinogens in the workplace accounted for 800,000 deaths from conditions such as cancer and lung disease.

Pollution was found to impose a massive economic burden in some parts of the world, equivalent to 1.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product in low-income countries.

Pollution-related disease soaked up an estimated 1.7 percent of healthcare spending in high-income countries such as the UK and 7 percent in middle-income countries.

What do the charities say? 

Karti Sandilya, from the non-profit organisation Pure Earth USA, said: ‘Pollution, poverty, poor health, and social injustice are deeply intertwined.

‘Pollution and related diseases most often affect the world’s poor and powerless, and victims are often the vulnerable and the voiceless.’

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: ‘This report reveals the consequences air pollution can have when left unchecked.

‘Air pollution is reaching crisis point worldwide, and the UK is fairing far worse than many countries in Western Europe and the US.’