London-Sana
A new study has revealed that pollution kills 9 million people annually around the world, with Africa hitting the most.
Reuters reported that the study, published in the medical journal Lancet Planetary Health, found that increased outdoor air pollution and lead poisoning are responsible for nearly nine million deaths annually since 2015.
Data on global death rates and pollution levels included in the study showed that air pollution from industrial processes and urbanization contributed to a seven percent increase in pollution-related deaths between 2015 and 2019.
The recent study focuses specifically on the causes of pollution and separated traditional pollutants such as indoor smoking or sewage from more modern pollutants such as air pollution due to industry and toxic chemicals.
The researchers concluded that deaths related to conventional pollutants have decreased globally but remain a major problem in Africa and some other developing countries.
According to Rachel Kupka, executive director of the Global Alliance for Health and Pollution Control in New York and co-author of the study, deaths from exposure to modern pollutants such as heavy metals, agrochemicals and fossil fuel emissions have increased dramatically, rising by 66 percent since 2000.
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