Pollutionwatch: toxic air shortens lives by 20 months | Air pollution | The Guardian
Indian cities are among the worst affected but even they cannot match the UK’s air pollution of the 1920s
Gary Fuller
Children will have their lives shortened by an average of a year and eight months from breathing polluted air, according to two new reports from the State of Global Air initiative. In some of the worst-affected countries, babies born today will, on average, lose more than three years of life unless air pollution improves.
Air pollution was the fourth leading cause of death around the globe in 2019, at about 7 million early deaths. This is more than those from more well-known risks including smoking, malaria and poor hygiene. The worst-affected countries face the double challenge of poor outdoor air pollution and breathing smoke from household cooking and heating.
