Poorer households in India are bearing a disproportional impact from pollution caused by others, a new study by Yale School of the Environment Associate Professor of Energy Systems Narasimha Rao has found.

The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, is the first to analyze and review how different households contribute to air pollution, as well as the impact of the pollution on different households by income levels.

“Low-income groups, despite not producing a lot of air pollution indirectly because they don’t consume much, are facing a disproportionate impact of air pollution from other sources,’’ Rao says. 

Air pollution is among the leading causes of premature mortality worldwide and unequal exposure to air pollution likely contributes to health inequality, the study notes.

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Read more about this research at the Yale School of the Environment website.