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Air pollution kills six million people every year: it’s time for us to wake up to this grave threat

Every year, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)—mainly heart and lung disease, cancer, and diabetes—kill 41 million people globally. Together, NCDs are the leading cause of death and disease in the world and, when governments take action, they are preventable. But one risk factor, air pollution, is largely ignored by the global health community.