According to media sources, new WHO estimates show air pollution kills seven million people worldwide annually.

Associated Press: WHO: Pollution kills 7 million people every year
“Air pollution kills about seven million people worldwide every year, with more than half of the fatalities due to fumes from indoor stoves, according to a new report from the World Health Organization published Tuesday…” (Cheng, 3/24).

Bloomberg News: Tainted Air Kills More Than AIDS, Diabetes, WHO Report Shows
“Air pollution killed seven million people in 2012, more people than AIDS, diabetes and road injuries combined. One in eight deaths worldwide can be attributed to breathing tainted air, making it the world’s largest environmental health risk, the Geneva-based World Health Organization said in a report today, doubling its previous estimates for pollution fatalities…” (Bennett, 3/25).

Reuters: Polluted air linked to 7 million deaths in 2012: WHO
“…The toll, a doubling of previous estimates, means one in eight of all global deaths in 2012 was linked to polluted air and shows how reducing pollution inside and outside of people’s homes could save millions of lives in future, the United Nations health agency said…” (Kelland, 3/24).

VOA News: Millions Die Every Year From Air Pollution
“The World Health Organization reports air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk. A new report finds seven million people died from exposure to air pollution in 2012, more than double the number previously estimated in 2008…” (Schlein, 3/24).

WHO: 7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution
“…In particular, the new data reveal a stronger link between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure and cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and ischemic heart disease, as well as between air pollution and cancer. This is in addition to air pollution’s role in the development of respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases…” (3/25).