Global burden of non-communicable diseases attributable to ambient fine particulate matter pollution in adults aged 65 years and older from 1990 to 2021
Air pollution's health burden in older adults is growing despite cleaner air, revealing urgent need for continued policy action.
Global Burden of Disease 2021 analysis shows 3.32 million deaths and 56.3 million DALYs attributable to PM2.5 in adults ≥65 years in 2021, with cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause; despite declining age-standardized rates, absolute burden has increased 125% since 1990 and is projected to grow >50% more by 2031. The growing absolute burden in aging populations underscores urgent policy needs for air quality intervention.
What the study was
- Study design
- GBD 2021 database analysis with Bayesian APC forecasting
- Population
- Global adults ≥65 years, 1990–2021; GBD 2021 data
- Category
- Public Health
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- QJM: An International Journal of Medicine
Why it surfaced
Relevant global burden data for aging populations; policy-relevant projections; GBD methodologies are well-established; primarily a public health/environmental finding outside core watchlist.
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