Particulate pollution is the greatest external risk to human health globally

Measured in terms of life expectancy, the AQLI reveals that particulate pollution (PM2.5) is consistently the world’s greatest external risk to human health. While particulate pollution is set to reduce global average life expectancy by 1.9 years, smoking, for instance, reduces global life expectancy by about 1.7 years. Child and maternal malnutrition reduces life expectancy by about 1.4 years; alcohol use by 5 months; transportation injuries from vehicle accidents and unsafe water, sanitation and handwashing, 4.7 months; and HIV/AIDS, 3.4 months. Thus, the impact of particulate pollution on life expectancy is comparable to that of tobacco use, 1.3 times that of childhood and maternal malnutrition, 4.4 times that of high alcohol use, 5.8 times that of transport injuries like car crashes and unsafe water, and 6.7 times that of HIV/AIDS, and 26.7 times that of nutritional deficiencies.