India happens to be world's second most populated country after Nepal, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) said on Monday. The study also highlighted that the particulate pollution is so severe that it shortens the average Indian's life expectancy by more than four years relative to what it would be if World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines were met. This is up from about two years in the late 1990s due to a 69 percent increase in particulate pollution.
Concentrations in Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Territory of Delhi are substantially higher, and the impact on life expectancy exceeds six years.Its new air pollution index, known as the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), finds that air pollution reduces global life expectancy by nearly two years, making it the single greatest threat to human health. For an average resident of Delhi, gain in life expectancy if the WHO guidelines are met, could be up to 10.2 years.
What makes AQLI unique is that it converts pollution into perhaps the most important metric that exists -- life expectancy. It does so at a hyper-local level throughout the world. Further, it illustrates how air pollution policies can increase life expectancy when they meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) guideline, existing national air quality standards, or user-defined air quality levels.
Local communities and policymakers can use this information and work out air pollution policies in very concrete terms. Loss of life expectancy is highest in Asia, exceeding six years in many parts of India and China; some residents of the US still lose up to a year of life from pollution. Fossil fuel-driven particulate air pollution cuts global average life expectancy by 1.8 years per person, according to the pollution index and accompanying report produced by the EPIC.
"Around the world today, people are breathing air that represents a serious risk to their health. But the way this risk is communicated is very often opaque and confusing, translating air pollution concentrations into colors, like red, brown, orange, and green. What those colors mean for people's well-being has always been unclear," Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Professor in Economics and Director of the EPIC, said.
Greenstone also noted: "My colleagues and I developed the AQLI, where the 'L' stands for 'life' to address these shortcomings. It takes particulate air pollution concentrations and converts them into perhaps the most important metric that exists, life expectancy." The AQLI is based on a pair of peer-reviewed studies co-authored by Greenstone that quantify the causal relationship between long-term human exposure to particulate pollution and life expectancy.
The results from these studies are then combined with hyper-localised, global particulate matter measurements, yielding unprecedented insight into the true cost of air pollution in communities around the world. The AQLI reveals that India and China, which make up 36 per cent of the world's population, account for 73 per cent of all years of life lost due to particulate pollution.
On average, people in India would live 4.3 years longer if their country met the WHO guideline, expanding the average life expectancy at birth there from 69 to 73 years. In the US, about a third of the population lives in areas not in compliance with the WHO guideline. Those living in the country's most polluted counties could expect to live up to one year longer if pollution met the WHO guideline.
Globally, the AQLI reveals that particulate pollution reduces average life expectancy by 1.8 years, making it the greatest global threat to human health. By comparison, first-hand cigarette smoke leads to a reduction in global average life expectancy of about 1.6 years. Other risks to human health have even smaller effects: alcohol and drugs reduce life expectancy by 11 months; unsafe water and sanitation take off seven months; and HIV/AIDS four months.
"While people can stop smoking and take steps to protect themselves from diseases, there is little they can individually do to protect themselves from the air they breathe," Greenstone said.
Foods To Build Resistance Against Air Pollution
Did you know that antioxidants from the food you eat can provide protection to your body from the harmful effects caused by air pollutants? Here are some foods you can include in your diet this season to bolster yourself from within, suggested by consultant Nutritionist Dr. Rupali Datta.
1. Leafy greens like coriander leaves, coriander leaves, cabbage, turnip greens and parsley.
2. Citrus fruits full of vitamin C like amla, guava and apple.
3. Foods rich in vitamin E like almonds, sunflower oil and olive oil.
4. Beta-carotene rich foods. Beta carotene prevents inflammation because of its antioxidant activity. Radish, carrots and amaranth greens are rich sources of beta carotene.
5. Omega 3 fatty acids are also a good additions to your diet to combat air pollution. Nuts and seeds like walnuts, chia seeds and flax seed, are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
Include these foods in your diet and contact your doctor immediately in case of persistent cough or if there is any minor discomfort in breathing.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
(with inputs IANS)