The Lancet CommissionsThe Lancet Commission on pollution and health
Section snippets
Executive summary
Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today. Diseases caused by pollution were responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths in 2015—16% of all deaths worldwide—three times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined and 15 times more than from all wars and other forms of violence. In the most severely affected countries, pollution-related disease is responsible for more than one death in four.
Pollution
Section 1: The burden of disease attributable to pollution
In this Section, we review data for the global burden of disease and death attributable to pollution.23,38,42,99,106
Section 2: The economic costs of pollution and pollution-related disease
Premature death and disease due to pollution impose great costs on national budgets and health-care spend-ing, especially in rapidly industrialising low-income and middle-income countries. Diseases caused and exacerbated by pollution result in medical expenditures and in pain and suffering. Pollution-related disease can reduce labour force participation, labour market product-ivity, and economic output. In children, pollution-related disease can cause failure in school and perpetuate
Section 3: Pollution-related disease, poverty, and the SDGs
The former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has declared that “the biggest enemy of health in the developing world is poverty.”283 Pollution, poverty, poor health, and social injustice are deeply intertwined. Pollution and pollution-related disease most affect the world's poor and powerless.284 Pollution's victims are often the vulnerable and the voiceless. To understand the links between pollution, poverty, and pollution-related disease, it is necessary to elucidate the
Section 4: Effective interventions against pollution: priorities, solutions, and benefits
A key message of this Commission report is that, with leadership, resources, and a clearly articulated, data-driven strategy, much of the world's pollution can be controlled and pollution-related disease prevented. Strategies to curb pollution have been developed, field-tested, and proven cost-effective. These strategies were developed initially in high-income countries and are now moving into middle-income countries. They are based on law and regulation, rely heavily upon technology, are
Section 5: Conclusion—the way forward
Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today. Pollution poses a massive challenge to planetary health15 and deserves the concentrated attention of national and international leaders, civil society, health professionals, and people around the world. Yet, despite its far-reaching effects on health, the economy and the environment, pollution—especially the rapidly growing threat of industrial, vehicular, and chemical pollution in low-income and
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