Air Pollution Decreasing Life Span in India, Study Says
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gnomeandi/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say that lowering air pollution would increase the expected life span in India.
The Indian people, the researchers note, are exposed to “dangerously high levels of air pollution.” The study, published in Economic & Political Weekly, estimates that over 660 million people in India live in areas that exceed the country’s standard for particulate pollution, and that the pollution decreases their life expectancy by an average of 3.2 years.
“Too many Indians are exposed to dangerous levels of pollution that are shortening lives and holding back the Indian economy,” the study concludes.
Last year, a World Health Organization study found that 13 of the world’s most polluted cities are in India, says the New York Times.
The researchers who conducted the study recommended that India improve its monitoring of air quality, put in place civil penalties for polluters and adopt a system for pollution rights.
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