Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the atmosphere. It is a major public health threat and is linked to an estimated 8.1 million premature deaths a year – people in low and middle income countries are most affected but it is a threat everywhere. It causes more deaths every year than smoking, high blood sugar and obesity.
There is some good news: levels of the smallest, most harmful particulate matter (PM 2.5), have been coming down globally since 2014 in all regions – particularly in South Asia, which from around 2010 saw pollution levels rocket. In the UK emissions of fine particulate matter fell by 76 per cent between 1990 and 2023.
However, these global averages conceal the spikes in toxic air that still occur. In Southeast Asia, countries such as India experience high levels of pollution when farmers burn fields. While in the US and Canada the wildfire season is peak pollution season.
Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental health problem affecting the entire global population and is estimated to have caused around 4.7 million deaths in 2021.
The major sources of outdoor air pollution are energy for cooking and heating homes, vehicles, power generation, agricultural and waste incineration and industry. People living in low and middle income countries are disproportionately affected by outdoor air pollution with 89 per cent of deaths occurring in these areas.
The biggest contributor to indoor air pollution globally is the use of open fires or the use of dirty fuel such as kerosene, biomass and coal to cook food. It is estimated around a third of the global population cook and/or heat their homes in this way – this kind of pollution is a particular risk to newborn babies. In richer countries sources of indoor air pollution include damp and mould, domestic heating, gas cooking and household products such as cleaning sprays. In 2021 it is estimated that around 3.07m people died as a result of indoor air pollution.
Sand and dust storms contribute directly to air pollution by increasing particulate matter concentrations. Around 330 million people around the world are exposed every day to these particles, often transported thousands of miles. Around a quarter of dust emissions comes from human activities, including deforestation, land degradation, poor land management, and water mismanagement.
There has been a growing understanding of the effects of air pollution on the body in recent years and it is now understood that toxic air affects every organ.
While people living in low and middle income countries suffer far greater harm from air pollution, the burden on people living in richer countries is also high. In 2019 an estimated 29,000 to 43,000 deaths in the UK were attributed to toxic emissions.
Air pollution kills more people than smoking, high blood sugar and obesity. It is responsible for 30 per cent of all respiratory deaths; 28 per cent of deaths from heart disease and 48 per cent of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Other diseases and conditions linked to air pollution include:
While the major sources of air pollution are beyond the control of most individuals there are steps that you can take to both avoid breathing in dirty air and polluting the environment. These include:
who.int/health-topics/air-pollution
rcp.ac.uk/full-report-a-breath-of-fresh-air
Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security
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