WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The State of Global Air report published in partnership with the UN Children's Fund warns that air pollution is increasingly impacting human health - and is now the second leading global risk factor for premature death.
The fifth edition of the report, released by the Health Effects Institute, revealed that air pollution caused 8.1 million deaths worldwide in 2021 and many millions are dealing with debilitating chronic diseases, leaving healthcare systems, economies, and societies.
Further, it found that children under five are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, leaving more than 700,000 in this age group dead in 2021.
The SoGA report found that pollutants like outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) - which comes from burning fossil fuels and biomass in sectors like transportation, residential homes, wildfires, and more - caused more than 90 per cent of global air pollution deaths and were found to be the 'most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes around the world.'
Other pollutants like household air pollution, ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - which can be found in traffic exhaust - also contribute to the global deterioration of human health.
HEI President Dr. Elena Craft said she hopes the information in the report will inspire change.
'Air pollution has enormous implications for health. We know that improving air quality and global public health is practical and achievable,' she said.
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