Dirty air from global trade kills at home and abroad

WASHINGTON – A study that measures the human toll of air pollution from global trade shows how buying goods made far away can lead to premature deaths both there and close to home.

More than 750,000 people die prematurely from dirty air every year that is generated by making goods in one location that will be sold elsewhere, and 411,000 people die early from air pollution that blows across national borders.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, is the first study to bring together economic, manufacturing, trade, atmospheric and health data to calculate the number and location of premature deaths from air pollution.

People in Western Europe buying goods made elsewhere were linked to 173,000 overseas air pollution deaths a year. U.S. consumption was linked to just over 100,000 deaths.