CHICAGO: According to a survey by a US research firm, air pollution in Delhi, the world's most polluted city, can reduce lives by over ten years.

According to the BBC, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) estimates that 510 million people in northern India, or about 40% of the country's population, are "on course" to lose 7.6 years of their lives as a result of present pollution levels. As per the report,  present air quality levels result in a five-year reduction in the average life expectancy in India.

According to the WHO, 1.3 billion people in India live in places where "annual average particle pollution levels" surpass the WHO acceptable limit of 5g/m3. Every year, millions of people in India die as a result of poor air quality. The smoggy air that blankets Indian cities during the winter months contain dangerously high amounts of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which can clog lungs and trigger a host of diseases.

Reducing pollution levels to WHO guidelines, on the other hand, would result in a 10-year increase in life expectancy for an estimated 240 million people in Uttar Pradesh. According to EPIC, India has contributed around 44% of global pollution since 2013, making it the world's second most polluted country, according to the BBC.

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