The World Health Organization (WHO) says nearly a quarter of all deaths in 2012 were caused by environment-related factors such as air, water, and soil pollution, as well as unsafe roads and stressful work environments.
A report released on Tuesday by the WHO said that an estimated 12.6 million people died in 2012 as a result of living or working in unhealthy environments, a figure equivalent to 23 percent of all deaths reported that year.
The deaths were caused by human-caused environmental risks such as pollution, chemical exposure, climate change and ultraviolet radiation, among other factors.
The report provided a stretched definition of environment-related deaths, also including among the causes of the deaths such factors as injuries caused as a result of access to firearms in the environment.
As many as 8.2 million of deaths back then were attributed to air pollution, including second-hand smoke, which the report says were responsible for heart…