University of Chicago study reveals air pollution reduces Delhi residents' lifespan by 11.9 years

According to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) study for 2023 by the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute, air pollution reduces the lifespan of Delhi residents by around 11.9 years.

The analysis published on August 29 uses particulate matter data from 2021 to assess the effect of particle pollution on life expectancy. AQLI analyses the impact of particulate pollution on life expectancy.

According to the analysis, Delhi's yearly average PM2.5 level in 2021 was found to be 126.5 g/m3, which is more than 25 times the WHO's recommended limit of 5 g/m3. This number was discovered to be a little lower in 2020, at 107 g/m3.

On account of the number of people that high particulate matter levels affect in India, the country faces the greatest health burden from air pollution among all the countries in the world. In South Asia, as in India, PM2.5 levels have seen an uptick, said the report.

“In South Asia, particulate pollution has increased 9.7 percent from 2013 to 2021…In India, PM2.5 levels rose 9.5 percent; in Pakistan 8.8 percent; and in Bangladesh, levels rose by 12.4 percent over this same time interval,” the report noted.

According to PM2.5 data for 2021 derived from satellites, pollution in India has increased from 56.2 µg/m3 in 2020 to 58.7 µg/m3 in 2021. This is more than 10 times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m3.

According to the report, particulate matter pollution poses the greatest risk to human health in India, outpacing cardiovascular illnesses and child and maternal malnutrition in terms of reducing life expectancy. The average Indian loses 5.3 years of life expectancy due to particulate pollution, 4.5 years due to cardiovascular illness, and 1.8 years due to infant and maternal malnutrition.