A new study has found that pollution is now the world's biggest killer. One six deaths worldwide is because pollution. This is 16 per cent all global deaths. Most these deaths were non-infectious diseases caused pollution. These include heart disease, lung cancer and stroke. The study was published the medical journal 'The Lancet'. Researchers said most pollution-related deaths occurred poorer countries. About 92 per cent of these deaths were in low-income nations, especially countries where there is a lot economic development, such as India and China. Bangladesh and Somalia were the worst affected countries. Brunei and Sweden had the lowest numbers pollution-related deaths.
Study co-author Karti Sandilya said: "Pollution, poverty, poor health, and social injustice are deeply intertwined." He added: "Pollution threatens fundamental human rights, such as the right life, health, wellbeing, and safe work." He said air pollution was the biggest killer. Air pollution led to 6.5 million premature deaths. The second biggest killer was water pollution, which caused 1.8 million deaths. The next largest killer was pollution the workplace, which was linked 800,000 worldwide deaths. Scientist Dr Penny Woods said: "Air pollution is reaching crisis point." She said the people who pollution hit the hardest are those breathing and lung problems, children and the elderly.
