The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. August 30, 2023 Air Pollution Shortens Average Life Span by 2.3 Years, Worse Than Being a Smoker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new report finds air pollution reduces global life expectancy by 2.3 years - slightly more than being a smoker. The study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago concludes fine particulate air pollution from vehicles, industrial emissions, wildfires and other sources are "the greatest external threat to public health." In South Asia, air pollution cuts life expectancy by an average of five years, with the air quality in New Delhi leading to a loss of more than 10 years on average. .