Air pollution 'kills 400 000'

2005-10-25 13:39

Beijing - More than 400 000 people in China die prematurely annually from air pollution, reveals an unpublished study by the research arm of the government's environmental protection agency.

Wang Jin'nan said the study, conducted by the Chinese Academy on Environmental Planning in 2003, found that 300 000 people died from outdoor pollution, while 111 000 people died from indoor pollution each year.

Jin'nan was a chief engineer of the academy, which was part of the State Environmental Protection Administration, and was also chairperson of the Chinese Society for Environmental Economics.

Jin'nan" said: It's a conservative figure. The real figure could be higher."

Bad publicity

The conference was organised by SEPA as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the environmental directorate of the European Commission and the Italian ministry for the environment and territory.

Jin'nan said the figures had not been made available to the general public because governments, especially at the provincial level, don't want bad publicity about their jurisdiction.

China, while pledging to step up measures to fight pollution, didn't reveal statistics on the impact of pollution on health.

The figures in the study reflected World Bank estimates that 400 000 people in China died each year from air pollution-related illnesses, mainly lung and heart diseases.

Jin'nan said coal-fired power plants, China?s main source of energy, as well as polluting factories, and the increasing number of vehicles mainly generated outdoor pollution in China.

Higher pollution hit urban dwellers

He said indoor pollution came from the burning of coal, wood or agricultural waste for heating and cooking.

The academy's research also found that one third of China's urban dwellers lived in cities with level two or higher pollution.

Jin'nan said level two pollution was considered harmful to health, while level three was considered "very dangerous".

Jin'nan said some 116 million people lived in cities with level three pollution.

In a survey of 341 major cities in China in 2003, the academy found that 27% suffered from serious pollution, while 32% had light pollution and 41% enjoyed "good" air quality.

- AFP