"Air Pollution Blamed For 5.5 Million Deaths Annually"

"More than 5.5 million people die from air pollution each year, with more than 3 million of these deaths occurring in China and India, announced researchers Friday at the 2016 annual meeting for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“Air pollution is the fourth highest risk factor for death globally and by far the leading environmental risk factor for disease,” said Dr. Michael Brauer, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health in Vancouver, Canada, in a press release. “Reducing air pollution is an incredibly efficient way to improve the health of a population.”

In 2013, an estimated 1.6 million people died in China and 1.4 million died in India from poor air quality. "

Story Hinckley reports for the Christian Science Monitor February 13, 2016.