Air pollution causes 1500 deaths every year in Hyderabad: Study

Hyderabad saw around 5.6 per cent of deaths between 2008 and 2019, because of exposure to Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5.

Hyderabad: Around 1,500 deaths every year in the city of Hyderabad can be attributed to air pollution, states a study conducted over the years using various research methods.

The Lancet Planetary Health Journal recently published an article on ‘Ambient air pollution and daily mortality in ten cities of India’ where Hyderabad saw around 5.6 per cent of deaths between 2008 and 2019, because of exposure to Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5.

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PM 2.5 refers to a category of particulate pollutant that is 2.5 microns or smaller in size. When they are that small, they can easily bypass our body’s defenses like nose hair, mucus, and others, and enter deeper into our bodies. When exposure to such air is prolonged, it causes coughing, wheezing, aggravated asthma, bronchitis, and reduced lung function.

The study conducted by researchers from Ashoka University, the Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Karolinska Institute, Harvard University, and Boston University, also identified that 5,552 deaths in Hyderabad between 2008 and 2019 were due to air pollution.