This story is from July 29, 2020

Without pollution, we could live for 10+ years: Report

Without pollution, we could live for 10+ years: Report
Lucknow: Have you ever considered how much longer you could live if you were breathing in clean air? A Lucknow resident could add 10.3 years to his life if WHO guidelines on particulate matter in the air are met.
This is the the maximum number of years in the entire country that can be added to a person’s life by cutting down on PM2.5 pollutants in the air as per pollution data of 2018.

The conclusion was drawn by data churned out by the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) webtool developed by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). The report was released on Tuesday.
As per AQLI, Lucknow tops the chart in India with 10.3 years which could be added to a citizen’s life. It was followed by Delhi with 9.4 years and Kanpur with 9 years, if WHO’s safe exposure levels are followed.
This also means that in Lucknow, concentration of PM 2.5 was higher than that of Delhi in 2018.
WHO sets reduction of PM2.5 concentration from 35g/m3 to 10g/m3 as a safe level of exposure.
The method has been developed by EPIC director Michael Greenstone and is rooted in peer reviewed research co-authored by him. It converts particulate air pollution into its impact on life expectancy.
If data from AQLI is believed, then a quarter of India’s population is exposed to pollution levels not seen in any other country. The nearly 200 million residents of Uttar Pradesh are losing more than 8 years of life expectancy according to WHO’s guideline.

Within UP, the tool measures increase in life expectancy of residents of Rae Bareli by 9.9 years, Amethi by 9.8 years, Bulandshahr by 9.8 years and Kanpur by 9 years. Jhansi and Lalitpur at the lower rung of the data ladder with relatively lower levels of PM 2.5, can add 5 and 4 years respectively to the life of their residents if WHO guidelines are met.
“Though the threat of coronavirus is grave and deserves every bit of the attention it is receiving—perhaps more in some places—embracing the seriousness of air pollution with a similar vigour would allow billions of people around the world to lead longer and healthier lives,” said Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman distinguished service professor of economics and creator of AQLI. He added that in India, the solution lies in robust public policy.
The index is based on the diseases and harm air pollution can cause to the human body. Air pollution’s deadly effects on the heart, lungs, and other systems have a more devastating impact on life expectancy than communicable diseases like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, behavioural killers like cigarette smoking, and even war, the report said. PM2.5 penetrates deep into the lungs, bypassing the body’s natural defences. From there, these tiny particles can enter the bloodstream, causing lung disease, cancer, stroke and heart attack, it added.
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