L'inquinamento atmosferico toglie circa due anni di aspettativa di vita a ogni abitante della Terra. Lo ha dimostrato uno studio condotto dall'Università di Chicago. Secondo il rapporto, se ogni nazione riducesse i livelli di smog sotto alla soglia indicata dall'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità, si guadagnerebbero 1,9 anni pro capite.
Le situazioni più gravi si trovano in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan e Nepal, dove gli anni persi raggiungono anche i cinque. Il valore globale medio è superiore agli anni tolti dal fumo (1,8), dall'alcool e dalle droghe (11 mesi) e dall'HIV (4 mesi).
I dati sono decisamente più rassicuranti in Svizzera: la perdita è di 0,2 anni a livello nazionale (nel 1998 era di 1,3), mentre è il Ticino il cantone messo peggio, con un valore che si attesta a 0,5.
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