India recorded highest air pollution exposure globally in 2019: Report

News: The State of Global Air 2020 (SOGA 2020) report has been released.

Facts:

• About the report: The report is produced annually by the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation(IHME) Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project.

Key Takeaways:

• PM 2.5 Concentration: India recorded the highest annual average PM 2.5 concentration exposure in 2019.India was followed by Nepal, Niger, Qatar and Nigeria.
• Infant Deaths: High Pollution contributed to the deaths of more than 1,16,000 Indian infants who did not survive their first month.More than half of these deaths were associated with outdoor PM2.5 and others were linked to the use of solid fuels such as charcoal, wood and animal dung for cooking.
• Air Pollution: Air pollution was the 4th leading risk factor for early death worldwide in 2019 surpassed only by high blood pressure, tobacco use, and poor diet.
• Household Air Pollution: India has managed to reduce the number of people exposed to household air pollution to 61% from 73%.
• Ozone(O3) Exposure: Qatar recorded the highest O3 exposure in 2019 followed by Nepal and India.Among the 20 most populous countries, India recorded the highest increase(17%) in O3 concentrations in the past ten years.

Additional Facts:

• Global Burden of Disease Study(GBD): It is a comprehensive regional and global research program of disease burden that assesses mortality and disability from major diseases, injuries and risk factors.
  • It is based out of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.