1.2m Chinese killed by air pollution in 2010

Air pollution contributed to the deaths of 1.2 million people in China in 2010, according to data presented at a summit in Beijing this week.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Washington, said air pollution posed the fourth largest threat to the health of Chinese people, behind dietary risks, high blood pressure and smoking.

Air pollution is a fact of life in cities such as Beijing, where many people wear breathing masks when travelling outdoors to guard against “PM2.5 particles” – tiny pollutants that can go deep into the lungs and cause cancer, bronchitis and asthma.