A new report from the Health Effects Institute shows that more than 95% of our planet's inhabitants breathe dangerous air. Unfortunately, those living in the poorest communities are the hardest hit.
When to breathe threatens health:
While cities are full of people and can expose millions of people to polluted air at the same time, the risk of indoor air pollution in rural areas should not be underestimated either.
About 2.6 billion people were exposed to air pollution in 2016 due to burning solid fuels such as biomass or coal in their homes to stay warm or cook.
Indoor air pollution also has an impact on the air quality in the surrounding areas.
This number has declined in recent years, but remains shockingly high. Meanwhile, about one-third of people around the world are facing the misfortune of breathing dangerous air indoors and outdoors.
Another cause of air pollution is chemical emissions from transport, with diesel fuel being a major source of pollution in rich countries such as the United Kingdom. In poor countries, many people drive old cars in poor condition. Fine particles that cause millions of deaths each year.
The Health Effects Institute drew its conclusions using satellite data and other types of monitoring. These high levels of exposure propelled air pollution fourth in terms of the leading causes of death worldwide.
More than six million people died last year from air pollution-related causes, such as heart attacks, strokes, chronic lung diseases and lung cancer. Not surprisingly, people from countries like India and China accounted for more than half of these deaths.