Shocking Study Reveals Air Pollution Killed 100 Million People – Is Your City at Risk?

Researchers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have established a link between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution and an estimated 135 million premature deaths worldwide between 1980 and 2020. The study highlights how climate phenomena such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole, and the North Atlantic Oscillation have exacerbated the impact of PM2.5 pollution.

These weather events, characterized by higher temperatures, altered wind patterns, and reduced rainfall, contribute to stagnant air conditions that allow PM2.5 particles—originating from both human activities and natural sources like wildfires and dust storms—to accumulate in the atmosphere.

As a result, there was a 14% increase in premature deaths due to air pollution over the four decades studied. The research estimates that 33.3% of these deaths were due to stroke, 32.7% to ischemic heart disease, with the remainder linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, and lung cancer. Asia, particularly China and India, experienced the highest number of premature deaths, with 98.1 million deaths attributed to PM2.5 pollution.

Lead author Associate Professor Steve Yim emphasized the importance of understanding and accounting for climate patterns to mitigate air pollution and protect global health.

Researchers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University found a link between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution and to an estimated 135 million premature deaths between 1980 and 2020 worldwide.

What’s the reason?

The study claims that climate phenomena such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), climate pattern affecting the Indian Ocean known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, and the NAO or weather phenomenon over the North Atlantic Ocean known as North Atlantic Oscillation deteriorated the impact of air pollution from PM2.5, as per NTU news release detailing the study. During the study period of four decades, they say, this form of pollution increased premature deaths by 14%. 

The research team described that higher temperatures, changes in wind patterns, and decreased rainfall during these weather events can cause stagnant air, allowing more pollution to build up in the atmosphere.

As a result, this leads to a build-up of PM2.5 particles in the air, which can easily end up inside out by through inhalation since they’re so small — around 2.5 micrometres in diameter.

Human-created sources like vehicle pollution and industrial processes, and natural weather events, such as wildfires and dust storms are the sources of PM2.5.

According to the study estimation, 33.3% of the premature deaths were linked to stroke, 32.7% were caused by ischemic heart disease, with the remaining deaths were linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, and lung cancer.

According to the researchers, the highest number of premature deaths in Asia is associated with PM2.5 air pollution which is estimated to be 98.1 million, over the four decades. China and India recorded the most, The two countries that top the record are China and India with an estimated 49 million and 26.1 million deaths, respectively.

The lead author and the associate professor of NTU’s Asian School of the Environment and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Steve Yim said “This highlights the need to understand and account for these climate patterns when tackling air pollution to protect the health of the global population,” as per the in the news release.

Why is climate-related air pollution concerning?

Air pollution is one of the most inescapable environmental hazards because atmospheric currents can carry polluted air to every corner of the world.

Nevertheless, Most air pollution originates from motor vehicle emissions and from power plants that burn coal and oil to produce power for industrial and consumer use.

Carbon dioxide and other harmful gases released into the air from these sources adversely affect weather patterns and the health of people, animals, and plants.

Industrialized countries produce most of the world’s air pollution.

For example, with 17.72 % of the share of the world population China is in the leading position of producing CO2 or Carbon dioxide with 29.18%, while although the United States is home to just 5 per cent of the world’s population, the country generates 14.02 and India 7.09% per cent of human-made carbon dioxide emissions. according to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, the top global 5 Green House Gas (GHG) emission sectors are Energy Systems, Industry, AFOLU (agriculture, forestry, other land use), Transports and Building with 34%, 24%, 22%, 15% and 6 % of share, respectively.

These emissions of Carbon dioxide harm the environment by causing acid rain and global warming, and by reducing the protective ozone layer that surrounds the Earth.

Acid rain is a serious hazard around the world that occurs when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide released from motor vehicles and fossil-fuel-burning power plants fall back to Earth as acidic rainfall.

On the other hand, acid rain can moderately to severely defoliate trees due to the acidic effect, and the production of food crops declines.

Urban air pollution, usually in the form of smog generated by industry and motor vehicles, remains a serious health hazard for more than one billion people around the world.

Moreover, according to the World Health Organization, 2.4 billion people are exposed to dangerous levels of household air pollution originating from open fire burning kerosene, and biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste),  for cooking. And, the collective effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 7 million premature deaths annually.

 During the 1980s, European countries cut sulphur dioxide emissions by 27 per cent, and the volume of most pollutants dropped in the United States. Even so, cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, and Beijing record unhealthy levels of air pollution on one day out of every three.

The combustion of coal, oil, and petrol accounts for much of the airborne pollutants. About 60 per cent of the sulphur dioxide and 20 per cent of the nitrogen oxides emitted into the atmosphere in the United Kingdom are produced by fossil-fuel-fired electric power plants.

About 70 per cent of the carbon monoxide and 50 per cent of the nitrogen oxides come from burning petrol and diesel in cars and lorries. Other major pollution sources include iron and steel mills; smelters; municipal incinerators; oil refineries; cement plants; and nitric and sulphuric acid plants.

While society has made progress in reducing harmful air pollution by phasing out dirty fuel sources, such as coal, poor air quality from burning oil and gas is still a major issue, especially in densely populated urban areas.

Air pollution affects neurological development that leads to lower cognitive test outcomes, and negatively affects mental and motor development.

Even though breathing in PM2.5 pollution may not necessarily lead to an early death, it can create many other serious health problems like nonfatal heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, reduced lung function, and difficulty breathing. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Lead is associated with neurological effects in children, such as behavioural problems, learning deficits and lowered IQ, and high blood pressure and heart disease in adults.

The EPA explained that fine particulate matter can also harm the environment by creating haze, causing acid rain, depleting biodiversity, and harming forests and watercourses.

And because the changing climate pattern is aggravating the effects of natural weather patterns such as El Niño, it’s also making air pollution much more deadly than it would have been otherwise.

Impact of air pollution on children

The following are a few key points finding of the United Nations Climate Change on the impact of air pollution on children.

• Air pollution affects neurological development that leads to lower cognitive test outcomes, and negatively affects mental and motor development.

• Air pollution is damaging children’s lung function, even at lower levels of exposure.
• 93% of the world’s children under 15 years of age are exposed to environmental fine particulate matter (PM2.5), globally

• Around the world, 98% of all children under 5 are exposed to PM2.5 in low- and middle-income countries.  

• More than 40% of the world’s population – which includes for 1 billion children under 15 – is exposed to high levels of household air pollution from mainly cooking with polluting technologies and fuels.

• Air pollution is one of the leading threats to child health, accounting for almost 1 in 10 deaths in children under five years of age.

What steps have been taken towards air pollution?

The researchers called for stronger governmental policies to reduce the impacts of air pollution, especially during weather events that are known to make it worse.

As per the new law in the European Union, heavy-duty trucks are to reduce 90% of carbon dioxide pollution by 2040.

Meanwhile, a Swiss startup recently opened the world’s largest carbon-capture plant, which will simultaneously help reduce the planet’s temperature while limiting pollution.

On an individual level, switching to an electric vehicle from a motor vehicle, installing solar panels, or even just eating more plant-based foods can contribute to a healthier, cleaner future for us.