India's polluted air claimed 1.24 million lives last year, study says

India's toxic air claimed 1.24million lives in 2017, or 12.5 per cent of total deaths recordedthat year, according to a study published inLancet PlanetaryHealthon Thursday.

More than half of the people who died because of airpollution were younger than 70, said the study conducted byacademics and scientists from various institutions in India andaround the world.

It was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, theIndian government and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Of the total, about 670,000 died from air pollution in thewider environment and 480,000 from household pollution relatedto the use of solid cooking fuels.

The Indian capital, New Delhi, was most exposed to a tinyparticulate matterknown as PM 2.5 that can reach deep intothe lungs and cause major health problems, the study concluded.Some northern states closer to Delhi were almost as bad.

Average life expectancy in India in 2017 would have beenhigher by 1.7 years if air quality was at healthy levels, thereport said.

Rosier picture than previous reports

That isn't as gloomy as some other recent studies. Forexample, aUniversity of Chicagoreportreleased last monthsaid prolonged exposure to pollution reduces the life expectancyof an Indian citizen by over fouryears.

Still, the new study shows India has a higher proportion ofglobal health loss due to air pollution at 26.2 per cent of theworld's total when measured in deaths and disability than its18.1 per cent share of the world's population.

"The findings of this study suggest that the impact of airpollution on deaths and life expectancy in India might be lowerthan previously estimated, but this impact is still quitesubstantial," the study said.

Delhi's air was "very poor" on Thursday, according to afederal pollution agency. The city's quality of air has swung between "severe" and "hazardous" levels multiple times in thepast two months.

The city residents' apparent lack of concern about the toxicair whether through ignorance, apathy or the impact of povertygives federal and local politicians the cover they need forfailing to vigorously address the problem, pollution activists,social scientists and political experts have said.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization said Indiawas home to the world's 14 most polluted cities.