An estimated 12.6 million deaths occurred in 2012 due to poor and unhealthy environmental factors, a new report by the World Health Organization revealed.

This meant that one in every four deaths worldwide, as well as more than 100 diseases and injuries, were impacted by water, soil and air pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, and ultraviolet radiation.

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said a healthy environment supports a healthy population.

"If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young," said Chan.

Mortality Rate Distribution

As many as 8.2 million deaths could be attributed to air pollution, the report said. The air pollution-related deaths were linked to exposure to secondhand smoke, and the development of heart disease, chronic respiratory disease and cancer.

When it comes unsafe drinking water, there were 846,000 deaths related to diarrhea due to water pollution. In fact, cases of infectious diseases such as malaria and diarrhea that were related to poor water sanitation and waste management had declined, the report said.

About 1.7 million deaths were caused by "unintentional injuries" such as road accidents. On the other hand, there were 246,000 deaths due to intentional injuries such as suicide, which were all linked to unsafe storage, and access to firearms and pesticides. Pesticides accounted for one-third of the world's suicides.

Distribution By Regions

Most of the environmentally related mortalities were recorded in Southeast Asia, the WHO said. The region accounted for 3.8 million deaths due to unhealthy environments in 2012. The Western Pacific region recorded 3.5 million deaths.

Europe had 1.4 million deaths related to environmental factors, while Africa reported 2.2 million.

In contrast, the least affected areas was the Americas. The report said there were 847,000 deaths blamed on poor environmental conditions.

Dr. Maria Neira, director of WHO's public health department, said there is an urgent need to invest in strategies that would reduce risks in cities, workplaces and homes. She said the strategies could lead to immediate savings in health care costs.

Meanwhile, WHO is currently working with nations to take action on both outdoor and indoor air pollution. The organization will propose measures at the World Health Assembly in May.

Photo: McKay Savage | Flickr