The State of Global Air, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, published a detailed examination of air quality and its impact on health on a global scale in 2021. This study identifies air pollution as the second leading cause of premature death worldwide.
According to the report’s fifth edition by the Health Effects Institute, air pollution is responsible for 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021, resulting in numerous individuals suffering from severe chronic illnesses.
The study also emphasizes the vulnerability of children, particularly those under the age of five, to the negative effects of air pollution, which led to over 700,000 child fatalities in the same year.
It highlights that a significant portion of these deaths, approximately 90%, are attributed to non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The World Health Organization defines air pollution as the contamination of the environment, whether indoor or outdoor, by various agents that alter the natural characteristics of the atmosphere and have adverse effects on human health. Clean air is vital for human health and well-being, and the lack of access to it poses significant health risks.
Sources of air pollution include emissions from motor vehicles, household combustion materials, industrial processes, and forest fires. The predominant health outcomes associated with air pollution, as detailed by WHO, are cardiovascular diseases, with ischemic heart disease and stroke being the primary causes of death worldwide.
In Nigeria specifically, WHO’s data from 2019 highlights neonatal conditions as the leading cause of death, while lower respiratory conditions, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, malaria, and ischemic heart disease are listed as subsequent significant causes of mortality.
The report by the State of Global Air also assesses the concentration of outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) using data from air quality monitors, satellite observations, and global models, considering the population exposure to this pollutant.
Nigeria’s exposure mean to PM2.5 has seen fluctuations over the years, indicating variations in outdoor air pollution levels.
Furthermore, the report underscores that outdoor fine particulate matter, mainly originating from burning fossil fuels and biomass in various sectors, is a major contributor to global air pollution-related deaths. Other pollutants like household air pollution, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide, commonly found in traffic emissions, also play significant roles in deteriorating human health on a global scale.
Dr. Elena Craft, the President of the Health Effects Institute, emphasized the profound health implications of air pollution, as revealed in the report.
“We know that improving air quality and global public health is practical and achievable,” she stated.
The report further stated, “In addition to affecting people’s health, pollutants like PM2.5 add to greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. As the earth warms, regions with high levels of Nitrogen dioxide will experience great levels of ozone, which can result in greater health effects.”
Dr. Pallavi Pant, Head of Global Health at HEI, emphasized that the report highlights the devastating effects of air pollution on human health, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations such as young children, older adults, and low- and middle-income countries.
Pant noted, “This points sharply at an opportunity for cities and countries to consider air quality and air pollution as high-risk factors when developing health policies and other noncommunicable disease prevention and control programmes.”
The State of Global Air (SoGA) report highlighted a silver lining, noting improved awareness about the dangers of household air pollution and a significant 53% reduction in deaths among children under five since 2000, attributed to increased access to clean cooking energy.
Additionally, regions with high air pollution levels are taking steps to address the issue by establishing monitoring networks and enforcing stricter air quality standards.
