Air pollution kills 7 million people every year, says WHO report
China Photos/Getty Images

Around 7 million people worldwide are going to die from air pollution this year — thus making it the environment's single biggest health risk, declares a new report from the World Health Organization. That means dirty air is the cause of one in eight deaths globally.
The new estimates are double previous figures, largely due to new detection methods and better information on pollution's health effects. The report also says that women in developing countries are more at risk of exposure to dirty air than men, as a lot of women in Asian countries endure indoor pollution caused by their use of wood and coal stoves. Of the 3.7 million people who died from outdoor pollution, 90 percent were in developing countries.
Read the rest of the report at The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
-
How far does religious freedom go in prison? The Supreme Court will decide.
The Explainer The plaintiff was allegedly forced to cut his hair, which he kept long for religious reasons
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
LA County reportedly set to pay $2.5 million in settlements over Kobe Bryant crash photos
Speed Read
-
The horrific scene at Kabul's airport, in 14 photos and videos
Speed Read
-
Report: Matt Gaetz's former wingman has given investigators thousands of photos, videos, and texts
Speed Read
-
FBI used 'provocative' photos of female staffers as bait in sex trafficking stings, report finds
Speed Read
-
Before Florida condo collapse, contractor took photos of damage in building's garage
Speed Read
-
Gun-toting protesters' dramatic stand inside Michigan's statehouse, in 5 photos and videos
Speed Read
-
L.A. County sheriff ordered 8 deputies to delete graphic photos of Kobe Bryant crash
Speed Read
-
Vanessa Bryant 'absolutely devastated' by report deputies shared photos of Kobe Bryant crash
Speed Read