In Developing World, Pollution Kills More Than Disease

Air and chemical pollution are growing rapidly in the developing world with dire consequences for health, says Richard Fuller, president of the Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute. Credit: BigstockBy Stephen LeahyUXBRIDGE, Canada, Jun 13 2014 (IPS) Pollution, not disease, is the biggest killer in the developing world, taking the lives of more than 8.4 million people each year, a new analysis shows. That’s almost three times the deaths caused by malaria and fourteen times those caused by HIV/AIDs. However, pollution receives a fraction of the interest from the global community. “Toxic sites along with air and water pollution impose a tremendous burden on the health systems of developing countries,” said Richard Fuller, president of the Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute, which prepared the analysis as part of The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP). GAHP is a collaborative body of bilateral, multilateral, and international agencies, national governments, academia and civil society. Air and chemical pollution is growing rapidly in these regions and when the total impact on the health of people is also considered, “the consequences are dire,” Fuller told IPS. This future is entirely preventable as most developed countries have largely solved their pollution problems. The rest of the world needs assistance, but pollution has dropped off the radar in the current draft of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said. The SDGs are the U.N.’s new plan for dev...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Development & Aid Environment Featured Headlines Health Poverty & MDGs Regional Categories TerraViva United Nations World Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute Sustainable Development Goals Source Type: news