Urgent action needed to curb deadly air pollution in South Asia A new report by the World Bank states that Nine out of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution are in South Asia. Ambient air pollution is a public health crisis for South Asia, not only imposing high economic costs but also causing an estimated 2 million premature deaths each year. The health impacts of air pollution range...

-The Hindu 65% of Indians and a third of the global population had higher PM2.5 exposures during the lockdown, largely attributed to biomass cooking activity During COVID-19 lockdowns, many countries observed historic improvements in ambient air quality. Our new study shows that despite the historic improvements in ambient air quality, PM2.5 exposures increased for 65% of Indians and a third of the global population during the lockdown, largely attributed to biomass cooking...

-India.mongabay.com * Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a risk factor for anaemia. * Securing cleaner air and large-scale cuts in greenhouse gas emissions could help reduce the anaemia burden among the women of reproductive age in India, finds study. * While the Indian government maintains that no conclusive data is available to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution, global evidence links exposure to PM2.5 and other pollutants to severe...

-The Telegraph Findings suggest if India is able to meet clean air targets, anaemia prevalence among women in the reproductive age would fall from 53 per cent to about 39 per cent Long-term exposure to air pollution could contribute to anaemia among women of reproductive age through systemic inflammation triggered by inhalation of tiny particulate matter (PM) smaller than 2.5 microns, researchers have cautioned. A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of...

-PTI/ Newsclick.in Air pollution -- both household and ambient -- was responsible for the greatest number of deaths at 6.67 million worldwide. New Delhi: India saw over 23.5 lakh premature deaths due to pollution of all types -- including 16.7 lakh fatalities caused by air pollution -- in 2019, the highest among all countries globally, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.   The majority of air pollution related...