Air pollution health risks drive calls for stricter PM2.5 standards in India and China

A new FICCI-EY report emphasizes the need for a health-led approach to air quality in India, noting that more than two million deaths in the country were attributable to air pollution in 2023. The report suggests that the National Clean Air Programme should include explicit targets for reducing fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) to mitigate respiratory illness, heart disease, and stroke.

In China, research published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology indicates that stricter PM2.5 limits could significantly reduce premature deaths. China has revised its National Ambient Air Quality Standards to a 25 µg m⁻³ limit, with an interim phase of 30 µg m⁻³ planned between 2026 and 2030. Modeling suggests that full compliance with the 25 µg m⁻³ standard in 2024 could have averted an estimated 233,668 premature deaths, representing a 16.1% reduction from observed levels.