Letters | Air pollution is still a silent killer that needs global action

Readers discuss the urgent need to accelerate steps to combat air pollution, Hong Kong’s response to Japan’s release of waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and the steep rise in food prices in India

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A man talks on his phone as he looks through the haze at the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, New Jersey, on June 7 when intense Canadian wildfires blanketed the northeastern US in a dystopian haze. Photo: AP

Published: 11:30am, 8 Sep 2023

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On Clean Air Day yesterday, the harsh reality of outdoor air pollution and its devastating effects was inescapable.

Whether we live in rural or urban areas, the air we breathe could increase the risks of stroke, heart attack and respiratory diseases, and could even affect our brains, by accelerating dementia, for example.

Air pollution is estimated to cause up to 29 per cent of all lung cancer deaths, and recent research has found that airborne particulate matter, known as PM2.5, can trigger lung cancer even in non-smokers. Areas with high levels of PM2.5 also experience higher rates of other types of cancer.

The sources of these pollutants include burning fossil fuels, waste incineration, industrial operations and agriculture.

The World Health Organization estimates that 99 per cent of the world’s population breathes unhealthy air, and this is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually. The related health damages are estimated to cost US$8.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.1 per cent of global gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.