WHO: air pollution 'is single biggest environmental health risk'

The World Health Organization talks about the numbers implicit in air pollution health problem and they reported there are more than double previously estimated.

According to their research the indoor and outdoor air pollution kills more people than smoking, road deaths and diabetes together. Outdoor pollution led to 3.7 million deaths a year which 80% were caused by strokes and heart attacks, 11% by lung disease and 6% by cancer, only 180.000 of deaths occurred in America and Europe combined, the remainder occurred in Asia. Indoor air pollution led to 4.3 million deaths a year, 34% caused by strokes, 26% heart disease and 12% respiratory disease in children. Only 19.000 were in rich countries.

The air pollution is considered, nowadays, one of the most dangerous risks for the global health. South-east Asia is the most polluted region today. The increase of this situation is related directly to the fast growth of cities and industrial development in China and India. The levels are increasing in U.S. due to traffic emissions rise. 200.000 deaths a year are caused in U.S. by air pollution which 53.000 are caused by cars and trucks emissions.

Opinion

In this article the WHO’s research reported warning figures. The territories affected by this phenomenon increase every year but the things to do against air pollution damage have no big importance today. It´s very difficult to change things from one day to another but if we don’t take actions in this environmental problem the consequences may be worst.

Another point is that all the data acquired of this research serve to know how to face the air pollution problem in future. Governments should take place in the solution of this issue because it is a problem that involves other problems in social, politic and industrial progress in every country.

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Vidal, John. March 25 2014. 12.51 GMT. WHO: air pollution 'is single biggest environmental health risk'. The Guardian, UK. Taken from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/25/air-pollution-single-biggest-environmental-health-risk-who