Georgia, Bulgaria, China, India, and Russia are among the countries with the highest mortality rates caused by air pollution, while Brazil, Denmark, Norway, United States and United Arab Emirates are among countries with the lowest rates. Air pollution is the world's fourth-largest threat to human health, behind high blood pressure, dietary risks and smoking.
Harmful pollutants which can contain acids, metals, soil and dust particles, and in particular - sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, are responsible for the most deaths. They can cause lung cancer, strokes and heart disease over the long term, as well as trigger symptoms such as heart attacks that kill more rapidly. The release of these pollutants is mainly because of the unregulated or inefficient production and use of energy. A package of measures for the energy sector such as fitting coal-fired power plants with scrubbers, more use of renewable energy, increased energy efficiency and emissions control could decrease deaths level by one-third to 2040. Read more at http://www.iea.org
