Air pollution is one of the great killers of our age. Polluted air was responsible in 2015 for 6·4 million deaths worldwide: 2·8 million from household air pollution and 4·2 million from ambient air pollution. In the same year, tobacco caused 7 million deaths, AIDS 1·2 million, tuberculosis 1·1 million, and malaria 0·7 million. In the absence of aggressive control, ambient air pollution is projected by 2060 to cause between 6 million and 9 million deaths per year.
Non-communicable diseases account for 70% of air pollution deaths, and air pollution is a major, insufficiently appreciated cause of non-communicable disease. Air pollution was responsible in 2015 for 19% of all cardiovascular deaths worldwide, 24% of ischaemic heart disease deaths, 21% of stroke deaths, and 23% of lung cancer deaths. Additionally, ambient air pollution appears to be an important although not yet quantified risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders in children and neurodegenerative diseases in adults.
