Study links PM2.5 pollution to 7.2 pc of daily deaths in Indian cities

Sources of such pollution include vehicular and industrial emissions. Representation pic/Sameer Abedi

On average, 7.2 per cent of all daily deaths in 10 of the largest and most polluted cities in India, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, were linked to PM2.5 levels higher than World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for safe exposure, according to a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

Delhi was found to have the largest fraction of daily and yearly deaths attributable to PM2.5 air pollution, caused by particles sized 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter. Researchers said that daily exposure to PM2.5 pollution in Indian cities is linked with a higher risk of death, and locally created pollution could be possibly causing these deaths.

The international team included researchers from Varanasi's Banaras Hindu University and the Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi. They found that an increase of 10 micrograms per cubic metre in the average of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution measured over two days was related to 1.4 per cent higher daily mortality.

Congress slams govt

Expressing concern over "unchecked air pollution", the Congress alleged on Thursday that the Narendra Modi government has launched an "all-out war" on India's environmental protection norms and prioritised the "profits of the PM's friends" over the health of people.

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