Air pollution with particulate matter is a factor associated with about 75% of deaths in 10 major Indian cities, according to a study published Thursday that found the death rate remains high even in cities with relatively low levels of pollution.
"The results of our study, based on data between 2008 and 2019 in major Indian cities, show that about 7% of deaths are attributable to daily exposure to PM particles," said Jeroen de Bon, one of the lead authors of the study published in the journal "Lancet Planetary Health". 2.5" particles, which are generally classified as fine particles.
The researchers included ten major Indian cities in their study: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Banaras, Bombay, Kolkata and New Delhi, as well as Hyderabad, Madras, Pune and Shimla.
They looked at the relationship between the number of deaths and the amount of particulate matter detected in each city, using models that can distinguish between different sources of air pollution, such as traffic or waste burning.
They used the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of not exceeding 15 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter.
They noted that 7.2% of deaths during the study period, or about 33,000 people, were related to exposure to particulate matter.
This issue is of great concern in India, one of the countries most polluted by these particles, which promote the incidence of a range of diseases from stroke to lung cancer.
Deaths related to these particles have been found to be high even in the least polluted cities on the list, such as Bombay and Calcutta.
Although Indian authorities have set targets to improve air quality, pollution levels are still well above the World Health Organization's recommendation of less than 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
Joel Schwartz, the second author of the study, said, "Lowering and adhering to these thresholds can save tens of thousands of lives annually.
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