In the United States in 2024, more than 41.8 thousand people died due to car air pollution.

More than 41.8 thousand premature deaths in the United States were caused by air pollution from road transport in 2024. This was reported on June 29 by The Guardian newspaper with reference to a study by the non-profit organization International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

According to the results of the study, approximately five Americans die every hour from exposure to toxic car emissions. The authors of the analysis, who used sensor data and generally accepted scientific methods to assess the impact on health, emphasize that fossil fuel transport remains the main factor of mortality in the country.

"Emissions from transportation have a real day—to-day impact on the health and safety of the communities in which we live," said Paul Jones, transportation planner at the Environmental Justice Alliance of New York.

The study also showed that the United States annually records more new cases of childhood asthma related to car air pollution than any other country in the world. In 2024, American children accounted for one in ten new cases of this disease caused by transportation emissions on a global scale.

"While many Americans are concerned about the effects of toxins on the health of their families, health authorities cannot afford to ignore the impact of vehicle pollution on mortality and respiratory health," said Lingzhi Jin, senior researcher at ICCT.

According to experts, accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles can significantly reduce these figures. Researchers have estimated that if by 2040 the share of electric vehicles, trucks and buses in the market is 100%, by 2050 it will help prevent more than 100,000 premature deaths and protect more than 42,000 children from developing asthma.

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