Pollution in the home kills millions of people every year

2.2 million Chinese people, of which nearly half are under 5, lose their lives every year due to health problems related to indoor air pollution.

A baby in a hospital in China.About one million children under 5 years old in the country die from indoor air pollution each year.Photo: typepad.com .

The China Center for Disease Control and Prevention has just released a report on the impact of indoor air pollution on May 16. The report, posted on China News Service, shows that the level of indoor air pollution across the country is 5-10 times higher than that of outdoor air.

Indoor air pollution causes bad respiratory symptoms and many other diseases that cause 2.2 million deaths each year, including one million people under 5 years old.

According to AFP, reports say dangerous contaminants are formaldehyde (HCHO), benzene (C ₆ H ₆ ), ammonia (NH ₃ ) and radon (Rn). Formaldehyde, the most frightening substance, is often used to produce building materials and household appliances in China. This substance spreads gradually into the indoor air for many years.

People who are frequently exposed to the above contaminants may have respiratory, cancer, and mental impairments. Fetuses, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable subjects.

Rapid economic growth in the past three decades has turned China into one of the world's highest levels of pollution. In many provinces and cities in China, environmental and health issues are not prioritized by industrial development. The atmosphere in many cities is tinged with black smoke from factories. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people cannot access clean water.

A World Bank report in 2007 found that 750,000 Chinese people die prematurely each year due to air pollution and water pollution.