Two Indians die every minute due to air pollution

NEW DELHI: The air Indians breathe is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution, says a new study.According to medical journal The Lancet, over a million Indians die every year due to air pollution and some of the worst polluted cities of the world are in India.

The study released this week but based on 2010 data estimates that globally 2.7-3.4 million preterm births may be associated with PM2.5 exposure and South Asia is the worst hit accounting for 1.6 million pre-term births.The study says causes of air pollution and climate change are intricately linked and needed to be tackled together.

The Lancet concludes that climate change posed both a "potentially catastrophic risk to human health", while conversely being "the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century" if the right steps are taken.The smog over northern India is extracting a heavy toll, every minute two lives are lost in India due to ambient air pollution, the study published in The Lancet says.Further, according an estimate by the World Bank, this would amount to a whopping $38 billion loss in income towards labour in India.