An estimated 7 million people died due to air pollution globally in 2012 , with more than half of the deaths linked to indoor smoke from cook stoves , according to a report by the World Health Organization . Air pollution is now the `` single largest environmental health risk , '' the U.N. health agency stated in the report . The majority of the deaths associated with air pollution were heart disease , stroke , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer . `` Few risks have greater impact on global health today than air pollution : the evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe , '' said Dr. Maria Neira , director of WHO 's Department for Public Health , Environmental and Social Determinants of Health in the report . The Western Pacific ( which includes east Asia and the Pacific islands ) and the Southeast Asian regions were estimated to be the hardest-hit , according to the report , with 2.8 million and 2.3 million deaths as a result of polluted air in 2012 . In the Southeast Asian region , the bulk of it , with 1.7 million premature deaths , was attributed to indoor air pollution . Around 3 billion people in the world rely on coal , wood and open-air fires for household cooking , according to the WHO 's estimates . In India , 63 % of the population uses such solid fuels for cooking . These fuels produce harmful pollutants such as fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide . Country-specific data was not yet available in the report . The WHO findings further noted that women in developing countries are more exposed to household air pollution than men . `` Poor women and children pay a hefty price from indoor air pollution since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cook stoves , '' said Dr. Flavia Bustreo , WHO assistant director of General Family , Women and Child 's Health in the report . Meanwhile , outdoor air pollution killed an estimated 3.7 million people , with more than 80 % of the deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries . The sources for ambient pollution include diesel engines and industrial emissions . Sixty percent of these deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases like stroke and heart disease . Do anti-pollution car bans actually work ? China looks for blue-sky solutions as smog worsens .
WHO describes air pollution as single largest environmental health risk . Comment: Majority of 7 million deaths linked with pollution are heart disease , stroke , lung diseases .