A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) names air pollution as the culprit behind 7 million deaths in 2012.
According tot he WHO report, 4.3 million death in 2012 were caused by indoor air pollution. These deaths mostly came from people in Asia who use wood or coal stoves while cooking. 90% of the other 3.7 million deaths from air pollution were the result of pollution in outside environments in developing countries, reports the Washington Post.
According to WHO, air pollution is now the largest environmental risk. The report claims that one in eight people are killed by air pollution. WHO classifies air pollution as a carcinogen, which means it can be connected to lung and bladder cancer, the Washington Post notes.
“Few risks have greater impact on global health today than air pollution: the evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe,” Dr. Maria Neira, director of WHO’s Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, told CNN.
