A new study using government data has generated fresh evidence for enhanced premature mortality risk across all ages wherever air pollution exceeds national standards, weeks after the ministry told Parliament there was “no conclusive data” to directly correlate air pollution and deaths.

The study has found that the risk of premature mortality was 13 per cent higher for adults but about double for children in districts where air pollution levels exceeded the standards compared to districts where air quality was within standards.

Researchers at the International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, analysed both the environmental air pollution and household air pollution levels across India alongside mortality data captured by the National Family Health Survey 2019-21.

Their results show that districts where the average concentrations of tiny particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) were higher than the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 40 microgram per cubic metre faced increased mortality risks across all age groups.

The calculations show an 86 per cent increased risk in newborns less than 30 days old, 104 per cent increased risk in infants up to one year, 119 per cent increased risk in children aged between one and five years, and 13 per cent in adults.

“Despite India’s booming economy, the fundamental right to breathe clean air remains out of reach, leading to worsening health for millions of people and contributing to a growing crisis of premature mortality,” said Mihir Adhikary, the study’s first author at the IIPS.

Household air pollution resulting from unclean cooking fuel such as firewood or cow dung or the absence of separate kitchens also enhanced the risk of premature mortality, according to the study published this week in the journal GeoHealth.