Microscopic flecks are small enough to enter the bloodstream via the respiratory system, leading to asthma, lung cancer and heart disease. “Air pollution is the world’s leading environmental health threat,” said IQAir CEO Frank Hammes. More than a million premature deaths in China each year are caused by air pollution, according to the WHO. Climate change has begun to amplify the health risk of PM2.5 pollution, especially through more intense forest fires and sandstorms made worse by spreading desertification, the report found. While the link with lung cancer was well established, a recent study showed that most excess deaths from air pollution are caused by heart attacks, strokes and other types of cardiovascular disease.

Source: Pakistan Today February 25, 2020 15:00 UTC