The scourge is planetary. Air pollution with fine particles, mainly linked to the combustion of fossil fuels, shortens the lifespan. On average, worldwide, this shortening is more than two years, according to a study published on Tuesday, June 14. “Permanently reduce global air pollution to meet WHO recommendations [Organisation mondiale de la santé] would add 2.2 years to the average life expectancy”write the authors of the Air Quality Life Index report published by theEnergy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (in English).
In South Asia, a person could live five years longer if the level of fine particles in the air met WHO standards. These microparticles (known as PM2.5, i.e. less than 2.5 microns, the diameter of a hair) were classified as carcinogenic by the United Nations in 2013. They penetrate deep into the lungs, get into the blood, can cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The WHO recommends that the density of PM2.5 in the air should not exceed 15 micrograms per cubic meter over any 24-hour period, and remain below five micrograms per cubic meter on average over a year, reinforced thresholds l year in the face of evidence of their impact on health.
Almost all populated areas of the world exceed WHO recommendations, but Asia holds the record. Levels are 15 times higher in Bangladesh, 10 times higher in India and nine times higher in Nepal and Pakistan. In the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where 300 million people live, the diseases caused by these particles reduce life expectancy by eight years, and up to ten years in the capital New Delhi.
Globally, PM2.5 microparticle pollution did not decrease in 2020 (most recent data available) compared to the previous year, despite a sharp economic slowdown and a drop in CO2 emissions linked to the Covid pandemic and lockdowns.
But the situation is improving in China. Pollution has dropped by 40% between 2013 and 2020, adding two years of life expectancy to its inhabitants. But life expectancy remains reduced by 2.6 years on average in the country. Statistically, mortality from PM2.5 pollution is comparable to that caused by tobacco consumption, three times higher than that from alcohol consumption and six times higher than HIV-related mortality, according to the report. .