10/20/2017
Amid the gloom, the report highlights some good news — much of the pollution can be eliminated. It noted that high-income and some middle-income countries have produced laws and regulations mandating clean air and clean water, established chemical safety policies and curbed the most flagrant forms of pollution.
"Their air and water are now cleaner, the blood lead concentrations of their children have decreased by more than 90%, their rivers no longer catch fire, their worst hazardous waste sites have been remediated, and many of their cities are less polluted and more livable," according to the report. "Health has improved and people in these countries are living longer."
Pollution blamed for 9 million deaths annually, more than for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.