New report reveals air pollution shortens worldwide life expectancy by three years on average

A new report has revealed that the 'pandemic' of air pollution shortens lives worldwide by nearly three years on average, and causes 8.8 million premature deaths annually.

The report, published in the Cardiovascular Research journal, stated that eliminating the toxic cocktail of molecules and lung-clogging particles cast off by burning oil, gas and coal would restore a full year of life expectancy.

Compared to other causes of premature death, air pollution kills 19 times more people each year than malaria, nine times more than HIV/AIDS, and three times more than alcohol.

The study comes less than a week after it was revealed that India was home to 21 of the worlds 30 most polluted cities, with the South Asian nation being among the top five most polluted countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.