Weather phenomena akin to El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole have worsened the consequences of those pollutants by increasing their concentrations within the air, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore said, revealing the outcomes of a study led by its scientists.
Fine particles called particulate matter 2.5 or “PM 2.5” are harmful to human health when inhaled because they’re sufficiently small to enter the bloodstream. They come from vehicle and industrial emissions, in addition to from natural sources akin to fires and mud storms.
Fine particulate matter “caused roughly 135 million premature deaths worldwide” between 1980 and 2020, the university said Monday in an announcement in regards to the study published within the journal Environment International.
It found that folks died at younger ages than average life expectancy from diseases or conditions that might be treated or prevented, akin to stroke, heart and lung disease, and cancer.
The study found that weather conditions increased deaths by 14 percent.
The study is some of the expansive ever on air quality and climate, using 40 years of information to supply a comprehensive picture of the health impacts of particulate matter.
“Our findings show that changes in climate patterns may worsen air pollution,” said Steve Yim, an associate professor on the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University, who led the study.
“When certain climatic events akin to El Nino occur, pollution levels may increase, which implies more people may die prematurely from PM 2.5 pollution,” Yim added.
“This underscores the need to understand and take these climate patterns into account when tackling air pollution to protect the health of the world’s population.”
Singaporean scientists examined satellite data from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the extent of particulate matter within the Earth’s atmosphere.
They analyzed statistics on deaths from pollution-related diseases from the U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent research center.
The study focused solely on the impact of typical weather conditions on air pollution, Yim said, adding that the impact of climate change can be the topic of future research.
