Air pollution led to 1.2m deaths in China in 2010

London: Nearly 1.2 million people died in China due to air pollution in 2010, according to data presented at a summit in Beijing this week.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Washington , said air pollution posed the fourth largest threat to the health of Chinese people, behind dietary risks, high blood pressure and smoking, the Independent reports. Air pollution is a fact of life in cities such as Beijing, where many people wear breathing masks when travelling outdoors to guard against "PM2.5 particles" - tiny pollutants that can go deep into the lungs and cause cancer, bronchitis and asthma. (ANI)