In various Indian districts, a study has found that air pollution levels surpassing national standards significantly elevate the risk of death across all age groups—by 86% for newborns, 100-120% for children under five, and 13% for adults.
A group of researchers, including experts from the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai, analysed PM2.5 pollution levels across more than 700 districts. The data for their study was sourced from the fifth round of the National Family and Health Survey and the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
In households not having a separate kitchen, the study found higher chances of deaths among newborns and adults. Among newborns and children under five, the chances "appeared to be almost two-fold and more than two-fold higher, respectively, in the districts of India where the PM2.5 concentration is up to the NAAQS level," the authors said in the study published in the journal GeoHealth.
Analysing the interaction between PM2.5 levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre and household air pollution, the team found that it significantly increased mortality rates, with a 19 per cent rise in deaths among newborns, a 17 per cent rise among children, and a 13 per cent rise among adults.
"The results demonstrate that PM2.5 exhibits a stronger association with mortality across various life stages. Notably, when (household air pollution) is considered in conjunction with ambient pollution, this association is further heightened," the authors wrote.
PM2.5 levels are typically elevated across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which extends across the northern Indian subcontinent, due to various factors, including agricultural practices such as the burning of crop residues, as well as emissions from industrial centres and manufacturing hubs.
The authors noted that the use of clean fuel and separate kitchens in households remains quite low in the middle and lower plains regions, as well as in districts across central India. In forest-rich areas such as Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and other northeastern states, firewood, along with crop residue and animal dung, is readily available as an easily accessible but unclean fuel option.
While previous studies have looked at regional data, this study integrated pollution levels recorded in cities with district-level death estimates, according to the team.
District-level data on PM2.5 pollutants were sourced from the Greenhouse Gas Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model. Created by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, the model is an online tool designed to evaluate strategies for reducing emissions of various air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
The authors added that the findings showed harmful effects of ambient and household air pollution on human health and mortality.
The researchers called for raising awareness among people in vulnerable regions, where the use of clean fuel is low and separate kitchens within households are not common, is very crucial for maintaining healthy air indoors.
"Forgetting about WHO air quality guidelines, in India, policymakers should focus on reducing the anthropogenic PM2.5 emission at least to reach the NAAQS, which can substantially reduce disease burden and, more precisely, premature deaths," the authors wrote.
(with PTI inputs)
