June 10, 2024 - A new study led by researchers at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has found that air pollution from human-made and natural sources has been linked to around 135 million premature deaths globally between 1980 and 2020.
The study, published in the journal Environment International, analyzed 40 years of data on particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) pollution and its impact on human health. PM2.5 refers to tiny airborne particles that are small enough to enter the bloodstream when inhaled, contributing to a range of deadly diseases.
According to the NTU researchers, weather patterns like El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole exacerbated the effects of these pollutants by intensifying their concentration in the air, leading to a 14% increase in premature deaths.
"Our findings show that changes in climate patterns can make air pollution worse," said Associate Professor Steve Yim, who led the study. "When certain climate events happen, like El Niño, pollution levels can go up, which means more people might die prematurely because of PM 2.5 pollution."
The study found that Asia had the highest number of premature deaths attributed to PM2.5 pollution, with over 98 million deaths, primarily in China and India. Other countries significantly affected include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Japan, each recording between 2 to 5 million premature deaths.
The researchers analyzed satellite data from NASA on particulate matter levels, along with mortality statistics from the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and weather pattern information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"This highlights the need to understand and account for these climate patterns when tackling air pollution to protect the health of the global population," Yim added.
The study did not address the impact of long-term climate change, which the researchers say will be the subject of future studies.
空氣污染導致1.35億人過早死亡：研究
2024年6月10日 - 新加坡南洋理工大學(NTU)的研究人員主導的一項新研究發現,1980年至2020年期間,人為和自然產生的空氣污染已經與全球約1.35億人過早死亡有關。
這項發表在《環境國際》期刊上的研究,分析了40年來細顆粒物2.5 (PM2.5)污染及其對人類健康的影響。PM2.5指的是足以進入血液循環的微細空氣顆粒,導致各種致命疾病。
根據NTU的研究人員,像厄爾尼諾和印度洋極振子這樣的天氣模式,加劇了這些污染物的影響,使其濃度增加,導致過早死亡率增加14%。
"我們的研究發現,氣候模式的變化可能會使空氣污染惡化,"負責該研究的副教授Steve Yim表示。"當發生某些氣候事件時,如厄爾尼諾,污染水平可能會上升,這意味著由於PM 2.5污染,更多人可能會過早死亡。"
該研究發現,亞洲過早死亡人數最多,超過9,800萬人,主要集中在中國和印度。其他受影響較大的國家包括巴基斯坦、孟加拉國、印尼和日本,過早死亡人數在200萬至500萬之間。
研究人員分析了美國航空航天局(NASA)提供的衛星數據,了解顆粒物水平,並參考了美國健康指標與評估研究所的死亡統計數據,以及美國國家海洋和大氣管理局的天氣模式信息。
Yim補充說："這突出了在解決空氣污染問題時需要了解和考慮這些氣候模式,以保護全球人口的健康。"
該研究並未涉及長期氣候變化的影響,研究人員表示這將是未來研究的主題。
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