While the threat of the coronavirus is shaking the world, researchers draw our attention to another danger, that they consider more impacting than wars, malaria, AIDS or smoking. This is air pollution.

Globally, smoking is responsible for a loss of life expectancy of 2.2 years on average. It causes 7.2 million deaths every year. AIDS shortens life expectancy by 0.7 years on average. It causes 1 million victims a year. For malaria, we speak of a reduced life expectancy of 0.6 years and 600,000 deaths per year. Wars cause a decrease in life expectancy of 0.3 years and 530,000 annual deaths.

But, according to a study by German researchers, the scourge that surpasses all of these is air pollution. It shortens life expectancy around the world by 3 years on average. In 2015, it caused 8.8 million premature deaths!

These figures show that in terms of loss of life expectancy, air pollution exceeds malaria by a factor of 19 and violence by a factor of 16. Alcohol by a factor of 45 and abuse of a factor of 60. Since the impact of air pollution on public health as a whole is much greater than expected and is a global phenomenon, scientists believe that there is an air pollution pandemic.

In Africa and South Asia, in low-income countries, children are particularly affected by air pollution. But this is not the case elsewhere in the world. The number of years of life lost due to air pollution is in total,an average of 233 million years per year. ©

Cardiovascular Research

This is a pandemic that strikes differently according to regions and ages. Going into detail, the researchers found that cardiovascular disease is responsible for the largest proportion of premature death due to air pollution. They account for 43% of the loss of life expectancy in the world. They also noted that air pollution had a greater effect on shortening the lives of the elderly. Globally, about 75% of deaths from air pollution occur in people over the age of 60.

The researchers also wanted to distinguish the effects of pollution of human origin from that from natural sources (desert dust, volcanism, forest fires, etc.). They show that two thirds of premature deaths are attributable to human pollution, in particular due to the use of fossil fuels. They thus think that by eliminating these emissions specifically, the average life expectancy in the world would increase by just over a year.

Five and a half million deaths are preventable each year. But the impact could be even greater depending on the region. In East Asia, three to four years of life could be gained. Overall five and a half million deaths are preventable every year.

In 2015, air pollution caused 8.8 million premature deaths. Overall, it shortens life expectancy by 3 years. Given its impact on global public health, researchers speak of an unparalleled pandemic as air pollution kills twice as much as previously thought. Pollution is responsible for nearly 800,000 deaths a year in Europe and 8.8 million worldwide, according to a new study. In France, one death in 1,000 is therefore attributable to poor air quality.

Air pollution due to fine particles is responsible for the deaths of 48,000 people each year in France. Every year, almost 800,000 people in Europe die prematurely due to air pollution. Between 40 and 80% of these premature deaths are due to cardiovascular disease, estimate German researchers.

Pollution Kills More Than Tobacco

This means that air pollution kills more people each year than tobacco, responsible for 7.2 million deaths in 2015 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However if we can avoid smoking, we cannot avoid being exposed to polluted air.

Researchers estimate that 790,000 people died from air pollution in 2015 across Europe, including 659,000 in the 28 states of the European Union. An estimate significantly higher than that of the European Environment Agency (EEA). In its annual report published in October, it judged that air pollution with very fine particles (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2, emitted by diesel engines) and ozone (O3) was responsible in 2015 for 518,000 premature deaths in 41 European countries, and 480,000 in the EU.

This new study is mainly devoted to Europe, but its authors have also applied their calculation method to the whole world. They arrive at the astronomical figure of 8.8 million deaths caused by air pollution in 2015 worldwide, including 2.8 million for China. Previous work rather estimated the world total at 4.5 million. To revise these figures, the German researchers used a new statistical tool, based on a model simulating the way atmospheric gases interact with chemical compounds derived from human activity (energy production, industry, transport, agriculture). They then combined this data with mortality rates and exposure. They used new risk analyzes based on epidemiological data much larger than before and from 16 countries.

Pollution leads to 105 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in France. On average, the global excess mortality attributed to air pollution by this study is 120 deaths per year per 100,000 inhabitants. This rate is higher in Europe (133), although the controls are stricter there than in other regions. This is due to the combination of poor air quality and a high population density, which results in exposure among the highest in the world,.

Eastern Europe is particularly affected, with 36,000 deaths per year for Romania or 76,000 for Ukraine, i.e. rates higher than 200 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. For France, the rate is 105 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 98 in the United Kingdom or 154 in Germany.

The study authors consider it urgent to lower the exposure limits for fine particles. The average annual limit for PM2.5 set by the European Union is 25 micrograms per cubic meter, or 2.5 times more than the WHO recommendations. Since most of the fine particles and other air pollutants in Europe come from the combustion of fossil fuels, it is urgent to switch to other sources of energy.

In addition there is an underestimated cardiovascular risk. This work seems to show that the cardiovascular risk linked to air pollution has been underestimated. Previously scientists focused on the risks of cancer linked to air pollution or the immediate effects on the respiratory system. Now, they understand better the link with heart problems, effects on the brain or reproductive issues.