Premature mortality from common pollution sources have increased by two-thirds globally since 2000, a gloomy side effect of the economic growth that has lifted millions out of abject poverty this century.

According to a study published yesterday in The Lancet Planetary Health, more than 90% of deaths occurred in fast developing poor and middle-income nations.

Over the last two decades, as poorer countries’ populations and wealth have grown, so has the number of power plants, factories, and vehicles on the road.

According to Richard Fuller, principal author and founder of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution network and the NGO Pure Earth, this is having catastrophic repercussions in countries where pollution mitigation regulations have not been implemented.

“Growth without care can be very costly, with the impact on future generations being far more expensive than the immediate benefit,” he said.

Every year, pollution kills almost 9 million people worldwide. While majority are linked to air pollution, lead and other toxins are responsible for at least 1.8 million fatalities per year — and the true figure could be much higher.

According to the study, the prevalence of chemical contaminants in the current world has made them a silent hazard.

“I assumed that we would see these problems in air pollution,” Fuller said. “But I was really stunned to see that the chemicals agenda is almost as big as the air pollution agenda.”

Low and middle-income nations currently account for roughly two-thirds of global chemical production. Since 2000, global chemical production has increased at a 3.5 percent annual rate, and current output is predicted to quadruple by 2030.

According to research, only a small number of industrial chemicals have undergone comprehensive safety tests, implying that their true impact is unclear.

Despite every country in the world removing lead from gasoline, lead remains a major worry, having been connected to 900,000 premature deaths in 2019.

In 2020, Pure Earth and UNICEF calculated that up to 800 million children — one in every three — have elevated lead levels in their blood.

The causes range from hazardous auto battery recycling to the usage of lead as a colour enhancer in turmeric.

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