Air quality in rural and urban India

Population-weighted levels of outdoor air pollution are similar in rural and urban regions in India, a study finds. Air pollution in India is a major public health problem that has been linked to premature mortality. Typically, air pollution is considered to be primarily an urban problem. To compare outdoor air pollution in rural and urban areas of India, A. R. Ravishankara and colleagues combined satellite data with modeling to estimate levels of particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), which pose substantial health risks, in six regions spanning the entire country. The results revealed that population-weighted PM2.5 levels are similar in rural and urban areas in all six regions. Moreover, almost the entire country is exposed to PM2.5 levels that exceed the World Health Organization’s threshold for healthy air. The authors also calculated premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 for six causes of death, including ischemic heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and type 2 diabetes. The analysis revealed that the risk of premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 is similar in rural and urban regions. According to the authors, the findings suggest that efforts to monitor and curtail air pollution should not be limited to India’s urban areas.

###

Article #20-07236:


“Outdoor air pollution in India is not only an urban problem,” by A. R. Ravishankara, Liji M. David, Jeffrey R. Pierce, and Chandra Venkataraman.

MEDIA CONTACT:


A. R. Ravishankara

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO

e-mail:

[email protected]