33,000 deaths attributed to air pollution levels each year within Indian norms: Study

A recent study published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health has revealed that even short-period exposure to air pollution levels meeting the Indian standards can result in deaths. About 33,000 deaths each year can be attributed to PM 2.5 pollution levels across 10 major cities in India.

The study was conducted between 2008 and 2019 in cities including Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Varanasi, Kolkata, and Shimla. Delhi recorded the highest number of deaths which can be attributed to air being 11.5 per cent of the total deaths, about 12,000 every year. Varanasi recorded 10.2 per cent of the deaths, 830 every year.

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The states meeting the national standards also witness numerous death cases attributed to pollution each year. Chennai, Bengaluru, and Shimla recorded about 4.8 per cent (2,100), 4.9 per cent (2,900), and 3.7 per cent (59) of total deaths each year, respectively.

The national standard set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for PM 2.5 particles is 60 micrograms per cubic metre, while WHO states only 15 micrograms per cubic metre in its guidelines. PM 2.5 particles are fine particles of pollution with diameters generally about 2.5 micrometres or smaller.

The researchers studied the data obtained from meteorological instruments, air quality monitors, satellites, and other sources to examine the PM 2.5 pollutants exposure over time. They compared the air quality data with the death records obtained for the 10 cities for the same period.

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According to the researchers, the nature of sources of pollution and population may have resulted in a higher number of deaths in cities like Delhi, Varanasi, and Kolkata. However, the main objective of the study was not to compare the numbers but rather to emphasise the need to understand that relatively even low levels of pollution have a significant impact on people's health in the country.

“The insights signal an urgent need to revisit our air quality management strategies that currently focus only on ‘non-attainment cities’, rethink current air quality standards accounting for the lower risk thresholds, and shift from addressing regional to local sources to protect human health effectively,” said Poornima Prabhakaran, director of the Centre for Health Analytics Research and Trends (CHART) at the Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, one of the authors of the research.