Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere harmful to the health of humans and other living beings. Indoor (or household) air pollution is caused by burning solid fuel sources such as firewood, crop waste, and dung for cooking and heating, while outdoor air pollution is primarily caused by combustion from motor vehicles, solid fuel burning, and industrial processes.
Further reading
Bennitt, F. B. et al. (2021) Estimating disease burden attributable to household air pollution: new methods within the Global Burden of Disease Study, The Lancet Global Health, vol. 9, p. S18.
Matthews, Dylan (2021) How humans could live two years longer, Vox, December 27.
Ritchie, Hannah & Max Roser (2017) Air pollution, Our World in Data.
Related entries
burden of disease | climate change | global health and development