Haze Pollution More Deadly than Vehicle Accident

Haze Pollution More Deadly than Vehicle Accident - In many countries, traffic accidents claimed the lives of many. But the number is not much when compared with mortality from air pollution, most of which comes from vehicle fumes on the highway.

At least, this is revealed in a recent study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, deaths from air pollution 2 times more than the accident victim.

In Europe alone, there are an estimated 5,000 people each year die prematurely from lung cancer and heart disease are both triggered by air pollution. Pollution from aircraft exhaust adds another death rates are as many as 2,000 deaths each year.

Not to mention the exhaust from smokestacks at factories. If totaled from all sources of pollution, then the number of deaths triggered by air pollution throughout Europe can be reached 19,000 cases each year.

This figure is in stark contrast when compared with the data of death from traffic accidents in Europe throughout 2010. Data released by the relevant authorities say, the death rate from traffic accidents in that period only 1850 cases.

"It appears that air pollution from road traffic causes more deaths than the number of deaths from accidents that occurred on the highway," said Dr. Steven Barrett who memimpihn this study as quoted by the Telegraph, Thursday (19/04/2012).

High number of deaths from air pollution is often ignored because its effects are not always appear immediately. Deaths from pollution occur after the toxins that accumulate in the body, while deaths due to accidents can happen at that time also making it more visible.