“El mundo se enfrenta a una ‘pandemia’ de contaminación del aire”. Un informe, firmado entre otros por el Instituto Max Planck y la Universidad de Mainz -ambos en Alemania-, y publicado este martes en la revista Cardiovascular Research, argumenta que la contaminación del aire acorta la esperanza de vida una medida de casi tres años, lo que supone más que el tabaco, el sida, las guerras o enfermedades como la malaria.
El estudio apunta que la mala calidad el aire afecta en especial a las personas de más edad y que unos dos tercios de las muertes prematuras por contaminación atmosférica son atribuibles a la generada por las personas, principalmente por el uso de combustibles fósiles.
Los expertos usaron para su estudio un nuevo método de modelización de los efectos de diversas fuentes de contaminación atmosférica en las tasas de mortalidad.
Muertes que no deberían producirse
El informe se basa en datos de 2015 para cifrar en 8,8 millones el exceso de mortalidad, entendiendo como tal el número de muertes durante un período que no se producirían en ausencia de la exposición a un determinado factor, en este caso la contaminación.
Esta cifra se traduce en una reducción media de la esperanza de vida de 2,9 años en todo el mundo, indica el estudio.
El tabaco acorta la esperanza de vida una media de 2,2 años; el sida 0,7 años; enfermedades como la malaria causadas por parásitos o insectos 0,6 años y todas las formas de violencia -incluidas las guerras- 0,3 años, expone el informe.
Tipos de enfermedades
Los investigadores se centraron en los efectos de la contaminación del aire en seis tipos de enfermedades: infecciones del tracto respiratorio inferior, enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC), cáncer de pulmón, dolencia cardíaca, enfermedad cerebrovascular y enfermedades no transmisibles como la tensión alta o la diabetes.
Las enfermedades cardiovascuales son responsables de la mayor proporción en la reducción de la esperanza de vida debido a la contaminación del aire, 43 %, en todo el mundo.
La contaminación atmosférica causa daños en los vasos sanguíneos por el aumento del estrés oxidativo, lo que a su vez provoca aumentos de la presión arterial, diabetes, accidentes cerebrovasculares, ataques cardíacos e insuficiencia cardíaca, precisó el líder del estudio, Jos Lelieveld, del Max Planck.
La mala calidad del aire tiene gran efecto en la reducción de la esperanza de vida de la gente de mayor edad. Se estima que el 75% de los fallecimientos atribuidos a la contaminación atmosférica son de personas de más de 60 años. La única excepción son las muertes de menores de cinco años en países de bajos ingresos en África y el sudeste asiático.
Dos tercios de las muertes
Uno de los autores, Thomas Münzel, de la Universidad de Mainz, consideró que los políticos y la comunidad médica “deberían prestar mucha más atención” a este asunto.
El estudio diferencia entre la contaminación atmosférica evitable, causada por el hombre, y la de origen natural como el polvo del desierto y los incendios forestales, que no se pueden evitar.
Múnzel explicó que “alrededor de dos tercios de las muertes prematuras se pueden atribuir a la contaminación atmosférica provocada por el hombre, principalmente por el uso de combustibles fósiles, cifra que llega hasta el 80 % en los países de altos ingresos. Cinco millones y medio de muertes anuales en el mundo son potencialmente evitables”.
Grandes diferencias regionales
En materia de contaminación del aire hay, sin embargo, grandes diferencias regionales debido a la diversidad de emisiones, precisa el estudio.
Así, en Asia oriental la reducción de la esperanza de vida es como media de 3,9 años; en África de 3,1; en Europa 2,2 años; en América del Norte de 1,4 y en Sudamérica de un año.
El equipo usó datos de exposición de un modelo que simula los procesos químicos atmosféricos y la forma en que interactúan con la tierra, el mar y los productos químicos emitidos por fuentes naturales y artificiales como la generación de energía, la industria, el tráfico y la agricultura.
Después, los aplicaron a un nuevo modelo de exposición global y tasas de mortalidad y a los datos del informe Global Burden of Disease, que tiene cifras sobre densidad de población, ubicación geográfica, edad, factores de riesgo de varias enfermedades y las causas de muerte.
Ciudades que cuesta reconocer por la contaminación
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NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 25: A view of the South Block engulfed in smog, at Central Secretariat, on November 25, 2019 in New Delhi, India. Pollution levels in Delhi-National Capital Region increased marginally on Tuesday, mainly due to slow w...
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Buildings shrouded in smog, are pictured as Mexico's government ordered schools in and around Mexico City to be closed on Thursday due to elevated levels of pollution, in Mexico City, Mexico May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Buildings shrouded in smog, are pictured as Mexico's government ordered schools in and around Mexico City to be closed on Thursday due to elevated levels of pollution, in Mexico City, Mexico May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Smog is seen over central Madrid, Spain, December 28, 2016. REUTERS/Paul Hanna
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Paris: overview of the city from 'avenue d'Italie', in the 13th arrondissement (district). Overview of the city with its buildings, the skyscraper ' tour Montparnasse ' and the Eiffel Tower with a cloud of pollution over the Paris urban area. (P...
The heavy air pollution and smog, on January 4, 2019. View from the Monte dei Cappuccini on the capital of the Northern Italien region Piedmont Turin, on January 4, 2019. (Photo by Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Smog over the Olivia Business Centre skyscrapers is seen in Gdansk, Poland on 8 November 2019 (Photo by Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
KRAKOW, POLAND - 2018/12/13: Smog is seen above the residential areas.
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Downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, October 25, 2019. The city's authorities persuade residents of clean air and misty weather, while the Air Quality Index (for particles PM 2.5) exceeds the norm 3-4 times in different parts of Kyiv. (Photo by Sergii Kharch...
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St. Sava church is seen in smog during air pollution in Belgrade, Serbia, October 23, 2019. Picture taken October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
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A man stops to take a picture of the Utah State Capitol (L) and buildings that are shrouded in smog in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 12, 2017. Sometimes during the winter, temperature inversions form in the Salt Lake Valley, when ...
Tall buildings are shrouded in smog in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 12, 2017. Sometimes during the winter, temperature inversions form in Salt Lake Valley, when the upper air temperature is warmer than the air on the valley floor...
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A man walks amid smog as smoke rises from chimneys in Sukhbaatar district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia January 31, 2019. Picture taken January 31, 2019. REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj
People walk amid smog in Sukhbaatar district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia January 31, 2019. Picture taken January 31, 2019. REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj
People walk on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong, which is covered in smog, during a polluted day in Shanghai, China November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A man takes picture on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong covered in smog during a polluted day in Shanghai, China November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song
A man takes picture on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong covered in smog during a polluted day in Shanghai, China November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song
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Bangladeshi people make their move in polluted air environment in Dhaka on November 25,2019. Bangladesh, one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, has been struggling with air pollution for a long time, while Dhaka has continued ...
Bangladeshi people make their move in polluted air environment in Dhaka on November 25,2019. Bangladesh, one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, has been struggling with air pollution for a long time, while Dhaka has continued ...
A woman sells rose petals on a bridge amid the heavy smog condition in Lahore on November 21, 2019. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP) (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)
Birds sit on a ferris wheel amid heavy smog conditions in Lahore on November 21, 2019. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP) (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI, INDIA- NOVEMBER 23: Smog engulfs the sky, many areas in the Delhi-National Capital Region recorded air quality in the very poor pollutant in New Delhi. (Photo by Qamar Sibtain /India Today Group/Getty Images)
NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 25: A view of the South Block engulfed in smog, at Central Secretariat, on November 25, 2019 in New Delhi, India. Pollution levels in Delhi-National Capital Region increased marginally on Tuesday, mainly due to slow w...
NEW DELHI, INDIA- NOVEMBER 23: Smog engulfs the sky, many areas in the Delhi-National Capital Region recorded air quality in the very poor pollutant in New Delhi. (Photo by Qamar Sibtain /India Today Group/Getty Images)
Buildings shrouded in smog, are pictured as Mexico's government ordered schools in and around Mexico City to be closed on Thursday due to elevated levels of pollution, in Mexico City, Mexico May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Buildings shrouded in smog, are pictured as Mexico's government ordered schools in and around Mexico City to be closed on Thursday due to elevated levels of pollution, in Mexico City, Mexico May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero
MADRID, SPAIN - 2018/12/11: A man seen enjoying the view through smog of Madrid skyline, where air pollution reaching dangerous levels for human health by the very high concentration of nitrogen dioxide. (Photo by John Milner/SOPA Images/LightRo...
Paris: overview of the city from 'avenue d'Italie', in the 13th arrondissement (district). Overview of the city with its buildings, the skyscraper ' tour Montparnasse ' and the Eiffel Tower with a cloud of pollution over the Paris urban area. (P...
The heavy air pollution and smog, on January 4, 2019. View from the Monte dei Cappuccini on the capital of the Northern Italien region Piedmont Turin, on January 4, 2019. (Photo by Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This picture taken on December 3, 2018 shows the parliament building surrounded by the smog covering Sofia as air pollution reaches "very unhealthy" level. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo credit should read DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP vi...
KRAKOW, POLAND - 2018/12/13: Smog is seen above the residential areas.
Today, due to the high levels of air pollution above EU norms, the air quality index (AQI) of PM 2.5 is over 163. The city council introduced free public transport for safet...
Downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, October 25, 2019. The city's authorities persuade residents of clean air and misty weather, while the Air Quality Index (for particles PM 2.5) exceeds the norm 3-4 times in different parts of Kyiv. (Photo by Sergii Kharch...
A man stops to take a picture of the Utah State Capitol (L) and buildings that are shrouded in smog in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 12, 2017. Sometimes during the winter, temperature inversions form in the Salt Lake Valley, when ...
Tall buildings are shrouded in smog in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 12, 2017. Sometimes during the winter, temperature inversions form in Salt Lake Valley, when the upper air temperature is warmer than the air on the valley floor...
A general view of buildings as smog covers the capital city of Jakarta, Indonesia, July 29, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Picture taken July 29, 2019 Antara Foto/Indrianto Eko Suwarso/ via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS P...
A man walks amid smog as smoke rises from chimneys in Sukhbaatar district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia January 31, 2019. Picture taken January 31, 2019. REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj
People walk on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong, which is covered in smog, during a polluted day in Shanghai, China November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A man takes picture on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong covered in smog during a polluted day in Shanghai, China November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song