More than 5,000 people die prematurely from conditions like lung
cancer and heart disease because of emissions, according to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Exhaust from aeroplanes
cause a further 2,000 deaths annually while emissions from the
energy and industrial sectors and pollution originating from
Europe bring the overall total up to 19,000 deaths per year in
Britain. In contrast official figures state that 1,850 people
were killed as a result of road accidents in 2010. Prof Steven
Barrett, who led the study, said: "It does appear to be the case
that air pollution from road traffic causes more deaths per year
than the number who die on the roads. "But those who die from
air pollution tend to die about 10 years earlier than they would
otherwise, whereas people who die in road traffic accidents
might be on average middle aged, so it is likely that road
traffic accidents cause more loss of life years overall than air
pollution." The researchers made their estimates by comparing
models of how gas