According to a study air pollution is reducing the life expectancy of Indians by 3.4 years as an average. In Delhi, it is reduced by 6.3 years. In the list Delhi is taking the first place and next place is taken by West Bengal and Bihar which is reducing the life expectancy 6.1 years and 5.7 years.

In Jammu and Kashmir (0.6) and Himachal Pradesh (1.2), no mortality is observed. Including Delhi and Bihar other states have reduced life expectancy recorded as Jharkhand (5.2 years), Uttar Pradesh and Odisha (4.8 years), Haryana and Punjab (4.7 years), Chattisgarh (4.1 Years), Assam (4 Years), Tripura (3.9 years), Meghalaya (3.8 years) and Maharastra (3.3 years).

“We estimate that PM2.5 exposure leads to about 570,000 premature mortalities in 2011 and on a national scale, our estimate of mortality by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CoPD) due to Ozone 3 exposure is about 12,000 people,” said Sachin Ghude, an IITM scientist.

The air pollution levels have gone high in PM2.5 levels as a result of industrialization, transportation and burning biofuels. Central Pollution Control Board reported that about 78 per cent cities in country exceed the PM2.5 standard.

“The present day premature mortalities due to PM2.5 and Ozone 3 exposure caused the economic cost of approximately 640 billion USD, which is a factor of 10 higher than total expenditure on health by public and private expenditure in India,” the report stated.

“Upward trends in transportation, industrial and energy sectors, urbanisation, population growth in India, along with climate change, will raise the levels of O3 and PM2.5 in future, which could worsen the vulnerability of a growing population,” the report stated.