The air you breathe, the water you drink and the surroundings where you work, play and sleep may go largely unnoticed on a day-to-day basis. But—visible or not—they constitute your living environment. Now, new research from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows how that environment could be killing you.
More than 12.5 million deaths globally each year can be attributed to unhealthy environments, according to the WHO study. That’s nearly a quarter of all the deaths that occur around the world in a given year. Stroke, heart conditions, diarrhea and cancer rank among the top deadly conditions tied to environmental health.
I – Word Understanding
Breathe vs breath
Breathe (verb) – to take air into the lungs and out
Breath (noun) – the air we take into the lungs and out
Constitute – take a part
Attributed – caused by
II – Have Your Say
1. A healthy environment supports a healthy population. What are the things in your environment that worry you?
2. Here are some of the main environmental issues around the world. Please share your thoughts on these issues:
– Pollution (air, water, land, sound)
– Climate change
– Deforestation
– Overpopulation
– Industrial and household waste
– Airborne , mosquito and other animal-borne diseases
