A forthcoming study of northern India suggests that people living in rural areas are as likely to die prematurely from the effects of poor air quality as those living in cities. The study found that the sources of pollution in urban versus rural communities may be somewhat different, but the results are the same: high mortality linked to circulatory and respiratory problems. Air-pollution studies tend to focus on big cities, yet some 70 percent of India’s population dwells in rural areas, so the research may have wide implications.

A forthcoming study of northern India suggests that people living in rural areas are as likely to die prematurely from the effects of poor air quality as those living in cities. The study found that the sources of pollution in urban versus rural communities may be somewhat different, but the results are the same: high mortality linked to circulatory and respiratory problems. Air-pollution studies tend to focus on big cities, yet some 70 percent of India’s population dwells in rural areas, so the research may have wide implications.

“Ultimately, this tells us that outdoor air quality has received more attention in urban than in rural areas,” said lead author Alexandra Karambelas, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. “It’s problematic not just because people are losing their lives.” She pointed out that other researchers have found that air pollution has significant negative effects on the economy as well.

Worldwide, at least 7.6 million adults and children are thought to die prematurely from the effects of air pollution each year. This includes about 1 million in India, where growing population density and a booming economy energized mainly by burning of biomass and fossil fuels are clouding the skies.

Read more at The Earth Institute - Columbia University

Map: Fine-particle pollution is intense across much of northern India, even in rural areas. (Map courtesy Alexandra Karambelas)