The following is accurate according to a scientific report published in Nature:
Nature 525, 367–371 (17 September 2015) The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale doi:10.1038/nature15371 Received 10 May 2014 Accepted 27 July 2015 Published online 16 September 2015. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v525/n7569/full/nature15371.html
Scientists from Harvard University and other countries such as Cyprus and Germany measured the most detailed estimates yet of the toll of air pollution, in a quest to find the cause. The study found that outdoor air pollution is killing 3.3 million people a year worldwide, that is divided as follows:
- China: 1,400,000 deaths/year.
- India: 645,000 deaths/year.
- European Union: 180,000 deaths/year.
- Pakistan: 110,000 deaths/year.
- United States: 54,905 deaths/year.
- And so on...
The Guardian also reported that this study:
is the first study to single out different outdoor air pollution sources and estimate the number of premature deaths they each cause, considering road traffic, fossil fuel power stations and other sources.
Furthermore, global WHO estimates suggest that the result of the scientific report published in Nature is accurate:
Regionally, low- and middle-income countries in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions had the largest air pollution-related burden in 2012, with a total of:
- 3.3 million deaths linked to indoor air pollution.
- 2.6 million deaths related to outdoor air pollution.
As you see:
WHO estimated in 2012 that 2.6 million deaths are related to outdoor air pollution.
Nature study estimated in 2015 that 3.3 million deaths are related to outdoor air pollution.
Note that the The Nature study did not measure indoor air pollution, which obviously mean, according to the WHO estimate, that more deaths/year could result from indoor air pollution. Here is a list of caused/deaths published in WHO:
Outdoor air pollution-caused deaths:
40% – ischaemic heart disease;
40% – stroke;
11% – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
6% – lung cancer;
3% – acute lower respiratory infections in children.
Indoor air pollution-caused deaths:
34% - stroke;
26% - ischaemic heart disease;
22% - COPD;
12% - acute lower respiratory infections in children;
6% - lung cancer.
The Nature study also predicted that the yearly death total will double to about 6.6 million a year by 2050.
To sum up: 1.4 million Chinese people die yearly due to outdoor air pollution. WHO suggests that a large number of Chinese people die from indoor air pollution too.
