Global pollution deaths are 9m annually

More than 9m people are killed annually by pollution, equivalent to one in six of all deaths across the world, according to a new study. A two-year project carried out by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, accounting for 6.5m premature deaths, while water pollution causes 1.8m deaths. A further 0.8m died from pollution in the workplace. About 92% of pollution-related deaths occur in low and middle income countries, from a wide range of diseases. The largest totals were in India (2.5m deaths) and China (1.8m). In poorer countries, pollution-related diseases reduce gross domestic product by as much as 2% per year and account for 7% of health spending. In high-income countries they cut GDP by 0.5% and account for 1.7% of health spending. Overall death figures from pollution have not changed much in recent decades, the Financial Times reports. However, deaths from polluted water and dirty household air are falling, while those associated with industrialization are rising.