Are You Dying Slowly?
We don’t drink dirty water, but why are we okay with breathing dirty air?
Every year, 4.2 million people die from air pollution. That’s 11,507 deaths a day, or 8 deaths every single minute, a higher death toll than malaria or HIV/AIDS. Such a tragedy could’ve been easily prevented but the truth is, it’s a ticking time bomb waiting to happen.
Outdoor air pollution has grown at an alarming rate over the past five years with billions of people around the world now exposed to dangerous air. Yes, that includes me, you, and anyone else who is reading this now. Do you know exactly what’s in the air you’re breathing? Is it slowly killing you?
“When dirty air blankets our cities, the most vulnerable urban populations — the youngest, oldest, and poorest — are the most impacted.”
Flavia Bustreo, WHO Director General
As our cities become more developed and overall consumption increase, the urban air quality declines. The risk of stroke, heart disease, chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, increase for the people who move or live there.
Ironically, we tend to stay indoors when the air quality is bad, believing it to protect us against the harmful substances in the air, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this is not true. They found that indoor air pollution can be anywhere from two to five times as polluted as outside.
That said, we may not feel the effects immediately, indoor or outdoor, but it is shortening our life. Air pollution is shaving months — and in some cases more than a year — off our life expectancy, depending on where we live.
Worldwide, air pollution reduces life expectancy by one year. The effect is worst in some countries: It cuts the average Egyptian lifespan by 1.9 years and the average Indian by 1.5 years. In Russia, it’s around nine months. In the United States, it’s currently reducing the life expectancy of an American born today by a little over four months on average. Those born earlier may also already be affected.
As this trend continues, more people are becoming aware of the dangers of air pollution and are investing in air quality monitors to help keep them safe and healthy. How about you?
I was horrified by the air quality on my recent visit to Beijing. Arriving at the airport, I hurried as quickly as possible to get indoors, believing that it’ll be better, but the EPA was right. My air quality monitor shows an AQI level of 151, inside the terminal. I immediately wore a mask and stopped my lifespan from shortening further. Thank you, PiCO Home!
PiCO Home is available now on InDemand. For those based in Korea, we are available now on Crowdy.
To inquire more about Brilliant & Company, please do not hesitate to drop us a line:
- CEO / Ryan Yun / ryan.yun@brilcom.com
- COO / Lucas Choi / lucas.choi@brilcom.com
- Global Marketing Manager / Steve Tan / steve.tan@brilcom.com
