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in General Factchecking by Apprentice (1.4k points)

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?

15 Answers

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by Novice (520 points)
This is true. It is claimed that air pollution is shortening life spans. According to CNBC air pollution is taking about two years off of an average humans life span. Air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and gasoline. This 2 year decrease in life expectancy due to air pollution is worse than smoking and drinkings' effects on the life expectancy of a human. Cigarette first hand smoke is said to take 1.9 years off of a average humans life that is .3 years less than air pollution. Burning these fossil fuels is sometimes unavoidable. Making the air pollution unavoidable.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/14/air-pollution-takes-2-years-off-your-life-more-than-smoking-or-alcohol.html
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by Newbie (460 points)

Yes, pollution is shortening countries' selfie spans. Looking specifically at the most polluted city in the world, New Delhi, a study by the energy policy institute at the University of Chicago reported that "New Delhi, India's capital, has been ranked the world's most polluted city, where people have lost almost 10 years of their lives to air pollution". The levels of pollution in this area are reported to be 10 times higher then the safe limit, and are already causing heart and respiratory issues. 

India has such bad pollution that globally, 44% of the world's pollution has come from there. Hopefully with lots of increased effort environmentally friendly methods, India can switch its ways and become healthier.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/air-pollution-india-delhi-life-expectancy-down-10-years-most-polluted-city-epic-study/

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by Apprentice (1.8k points)
Air pollution is a significant contributor to premature deaths globally. The World Health Organization states that approximately 7 million premature deaths happen each year because of air pollution, making it the largest environmental risk factor causing death worldwide. Air pollution is also associated with several health issues including heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory infections. We know from studies that exposure to air pollution can shorten lifespan by about 2.9 years, and research also indicates that in some situations a potential reduction of up to 10 years. Such studies analyzed large datasets from multiple countries and found increased risks of death from heart disease. Overall, air pollution poses a significant threat to public health and can have a detrimental impact on life expectancy.

https://www.cdc.gov/air/particulate_matter.html

https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/air-pollution

https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-and-heal;th/health-impacts
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by Novice (640 points)

Air pollution does indeed shorten lifespan. According to CNBC, "Air pollution takes 2 years off average global life expectancy, more than smoking or alcohol" The original report from which this information came from was Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). It is claimed that air pollution is so dangerous because it is so difficult to avoid. Small matter in the air due to pollution can affect blood flow and can lead to stroke, heart attack, and other health issues. The aforementioned report believes that particulate pollution is the greatest global health threat. 

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

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by Newbie (300 points)

This claim is unfortunately true. According to the State of Global Air, "Research shows that exposure to air pollution shortens the average person's lifespan by 1.8 years." Nowadays air pollution is everywhere and it's hard to escape it sometimes, especially in populated areas. With that being said populated areas that experience this include, "the Middle East; North Africa; and South, Central, and East Asia" to mention a few. Most of the pollution comes from power plants, vehicles,  wildfires, etc. Since this article was published there has unfortunately been an increase in the amount of air pollution in the world. 

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