Outdoor air pollution caused approximately 1.2 million deaths in China in 2010, nearly 40 percent of the global total according to a new study released today, April 2, according to NPR.
The data was first released in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, which was published this past Dec. in the British medical journal The Lancet.
"In the winter, we have to burn more coal to get heating," said Zhou Rong of Greenpeace according to NPR. "Another reason is the weather pattern makes the whole atmosphere very, very stable, and so all the air pollution accumulates down to the ground, so we are getting higher and higher air pollution."
Air pollution was the fourth-leading risk factor for deaths in China in 2010 according to the study, falling only behind dietary risks, high blood pressure, and smoking.
Air pollution was the seventh leading risk factor for deaths worldwide in 2010, as 3.2 million people died that year due to air pollution according to The New York Times.
Beijing has started taking emergency action to respond to the alarming number by removing a third of official cars off of roads and by shutting down some building sites and polluting factories "temporarily."
They've also vowed to cut air pollution 15 percent by 2016 according to NPR.
"There's been clarity as to the severity of the problem, there's more frequent disclosure of information, but what remains to be seen is whether more aggressive action will be taken to solve the problem," said Alex Wang, an expert of Chinese environmental law at the University of California, Berkeley, law school according to NPR.
In the beginning of 2013, the U.S. embassy in Beijing started measuring and releasing hourly pollution readings for 74 major Chinese cites to better monitor their pollution level according to NPR. Approximately half of that number has shown "severe pollution" on a daily basis.
The data can be found here on their official Twitter account.
"In theory, with the greater transparency, that's harder to do - the falsification or cheating the data," said Wang according to NPR. "What will be interesting to see going forward is that now that they've become more transparent - releasing hourly data and so forth - does it actually force the regulators to take regulatory action?"
The study was led by an institute at the University of Washington with the help of several other universities and organizations as well.
Other air pollution estimates include one by the World Health Organization which stated this week that 1.3 million people died in cities worldwide due to air pollution according to The New York Times.
Related Articles:
NHTSA Investigating 2006-2008 Hyundai Sonatas For Suspension Rust (VIDEO)
2013 Buick Encore Recalled By General Motors For Loose Steering Wheel (VIDEO)
Vegas Restaurant Crash Injures 10, Teen Driver Arrested (VIDEO)
Detroit Airport Evacuated Update: Terminal Reopened After Suspicious Device Removed (VIDEO)
Production Begins For 2014 Chevrolet Impala, Pricing Starts At $27,535 (PHOTOS/ VIDEO)
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
