Claim: Air pollution is shortening the human life span

Question

According to state of global air, "Exposure to Air Pollution Reduces Life Expectancy. Current levels of air pollution have reduced life expectancy by 1 year and 8 months on average worldwide." So is air pollution true causing a shortened life span or are other lifestyle factors causing it as well?

Answer 1

According to an article written by global citizen, they quote, "Air pollution is shortening people’s lives by an average of three years, according to a study published in Cardiovascular Research on Tuesday. Researchers determined that air pollution is a severe global health risk that has a much higher loss of life expectancy than other major threats like smoking". This article goes into further detail on the amount of deaths that pollution causes and the negative health affects it has on people. So this statement is indeed accurate. 

https://newsdetective.org/7874/claim-air-pollution-is-shortening-the-human-life-span

Comments

How would you rate the claim? Don't forget to select a rating (true, false, misleading, etc.) when completing a fact-check. Thanks!

Answer 2

Theguardian.com cites that a global survey conducted found that the life expectancy on average was shortened more for air pollution than it was for smoking tobacco. Researchers claim that humans are missing out on close to three years of their lives because of this. A study states that almost a year of life expectancy can be brought back if fossil fuel emissions are reduced to zero. There are also places where the life expectancy is shortened even further because of air pollutions such as in Sierra Leone. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/03/outdoor-air-pollution-cuts-three-years-from-human-lifespan-study

Comments

The information about Sierra Leone is a nice addition -- how many years are taken of ones life if they live there?

Answer 3

Yes, according to many sources that I have linked below, air pollution does in fact shorten life expectancy. Many sources have claimed that the pollution has lowered our expectancy of life by numbers between 1.8 and 2.2 years. Many have found that the air that we breath takes more off of our life, then smoking. 

https://www.stateofglobalair.org/health/life-expectancy

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/air-pollution-reduces-global-life-expectancy-nearly-two-years

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/01/air-pollution-is-slashing-years-off-the-lives-of-billions-report-finds

Comments

Nice work providing multiple sources to support your fact-check.

Answer 4

Yes, air pollution is shortening people’s life. 

According to globalcitizen.org and insideclimatenews.org, a new study shows that polluted air is decreasing the lifespan by an average of 3 years. This study is published in Cardiovascular Research, which analyses the data from 2015, and states that air pollution leads to 8.8 million premature deaths. It also states that coronary heart disease is the main sickness for cause of death, and then the lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. 

“Even [though] the lung is the primary target of air pollution, causing inflammation and therefore pneumonia, there will be a transmigration of particles into the bloodstream and into blood vessels,” wrote Professor Thomas Münzel of the University Medical Centre Mainz, co-author of the study. 

 

 

Breathing Polluted Air Shortens People’s Lives by an Average of 3 Years, a New Study Finds - Inside Climate News

 

Air Pollution Shortens Human Lifespan By an Average of 3 Years: Study (globalcitizen.org)

Answer 5

This claim is true, and here are a few reasons as to why it holds truth. According to CNBC, air pollution actually takes an average of 2.2 years off the global life expectancy average, which its information was taken from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Furthermore, the Air Quality Life Index found that air pollution takes a total of 17 billion years of life, but by reducing it, an additional 2.2 years could be added to the life expectancy (so 72 to 74.2 years).

Another news site, The Wall Street Journal, stated that air pollution is the world's top threat to the United States public health, and it shortens human lifespans more than even the product of tobacco. 

Lastly, the problem of air pollution is not only one here but in other areas beyond the United States. According to Aljazeera, the life expectancy in South Asia was cut by 5 years due to heavily air polluted countries, such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. Pollution levels are now 50% higher than they were at the start of the century.

Answer 6

Yes, according to Reuters  "More than 97% of the global population lives in areas where air pollution exceeds recommended levels, the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) said in its latest Air Quality Life Index, which used satellite data to measure levels of PM2.5, hazardous floating particles that damage the lungs." Another example would be the recent Canada fires and smog that spread to the United States over the summer where air quality rose to a hazardous index which may cause harm to not only those with respiratory problems but people with perfect health. Also according to the State of Global Air "Air pollution’s impact on life expectancy is greatest in less-developed areas, where many people suffer a double burden from high ambient PM2.5 and exposure to household air pollution. Air pollution attributable life expectancy losses were greatest in Oceania, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, where LE loss can be as high as 2 to 2.8 years for some countries. The countries with the greatest life expectancy losses linked to air pollution were Papua New Guinea (3.2 yr), Niger (3.1 yr), and Somalia (3.04 yr)." In short air is an essential part of our well being and when reduced to unhealthy levels can very well impact our overall life expectancy.

Answer 7

Yes, this claim is correct. According to Reuters, pollution "cuts average global life expectancy by more than two years per person." That being said, most of the global population is at risk, with 97% of people living in areas where air pollution "exceeds recommended levels." While other factors can and do limit life expectancy, air pollution is much more widespread and difficult to control/confine to individual people.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/air-pollution-cuts-life-expectancy-by-more-than-two-years-study-2022-06-14/

 

Answer 8

This claim seems to be true. According to many sources, the air quality on earth is reducing life expectancy by up to 5 years in some countries. Fossil fuels, transportation, and carbon emissions are all causing the air quality on earth to plummet. While yes, natural disasters such as wildfires are also playing a role, the severity of these fires wouldn't be as bad if fossil fuels etc. were not already damaging the air. According to Air Quality Life Index, smoking tobacco takes 2.2 years, on average, of someones life, and breathing the air currently outside takes up to 2.3 years, on average. So, yes, air pollution is shortening the human life span. 

https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/news/polluted-air-shortens-human-lifespans-more-than-tobacco-study-finds/#:~:text=That%20is%20the%20conclusion%20of,expectancy%20by%202.3%20years%20worldwide.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/14/air-pollution-takes-2-years-off-your-life-more-than-smoking-or-alcohol.html

Answer 9

Yes, this is accurate. Pollution does lower the worldwide life expectancy. According to Air Quality Life Index, "this impact on life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, more than three times that of alcohol use and unsafe water, six times that of HIV/AIDS, and 89 times that of conflict and terrorism." All of these problems listed are very dangerous to human health, showing how dangerous air pollution really can be, and why it should be considered a problem in the world.

https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/news/most-of-the-world-breathes-unsafe-air-taking-more-than-2-years-off-global-life-expectancy/

Answer 10

This is true. From CNBC News: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/14/air-pollution-takes-2-years-off-your-life-more-than-smoking-or-alcohol.html 

"Air pollution, which is primarily the result of burning fossil fuels, takes 2.2 years of the global life expectancy for each person, according to a new report out Tuesday from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC)."

"Air pollution takes a collective 17 billion years of life, and reducing air pollution to meet international health guidelines would increase the global average life expectancy from roughly 72 to 74.2 years."

New York Times mentions other lifestyle factors: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/opinion/the-causes-of-shorter-life-expectancies-in-america.html#:~:text=Yes%2C%20race%20and%20income%20matter,unhealthy%20air%2C%20water%20and%20soil.

"The major cause of reduced life expectancy is living near unhealthy air, water and soil."