Air Pollution Shortens Human Life Span by 3 Years

A global study reveals that outdoor air pollution shortens the human life span by 3 years, causing 8.8 million premature deaths per year. This means that the life expectancy loss of air pollution is higher than that of smoking, HIV and AIDS, violence and parasite related diseases. 

According to the World Health Organisation, 91% of the world’s population breaths polluted air, the majority of which live in low- and middle-income countries. The global study suggests that the number of people who die prematurely from exposure to air pollution can be lowered by 5.5 million per year. This would require that all controllable air pollution is cut, including all fossil fuel emissions. The author of the study also claimed that, as fossil fuel emissions alone can lower the human life span by a year, such air pollution should be classified as a major global health risk factor.