More than 400,000 people in China die prematurely each year due to air pollution, AFP reported, citing an unpublished study by the Chinese Academy on Environmental Planning. The study, carried out in 2003, found that 300,000 people died each year as a result of outdoor pollution, while indoor pollution was responsible for 111,000 fatalities. Wang Jin'an, chief engineer of the academy which is part of the State Environmental Protection Administration, said the figures have not been made public because provincial governments want to avoid bad publicity. The World Bank estimates that 400,000 people in China die each year from air pollution-related illnesses, mainly lung and heart diseases.
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