What happened: According to a research of global mortality and pollution levels published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, an estimated 9 million people die each year from various types of pollution. Details: An increase in hazardous lead poisoning and rising air pollution cancelled out any gains made elsewhere in the fight against pollution. According to scientists examining 2019 data from the Worldwide Burden of Disease, an ongoing research by the University of Washington that measures overall pollution exposure, this has kept global fatalities from environmental contamination at 9 million each year since 2015. What else: The study discovered that deaths from modern pollutants such as heavy metals, agrochemicals, and fossil fuel emissions are “skyrocketing” and have increased by 66% since 2000. In developing countries, the trend was particularly concerning. What you need to know: Traditional pollutants are causing fewer deaths globally, but they are still a problem in Africa. Chad, the Central African Republic, and Niger were found to have the highest rates of pollution-related mortality, which were largely caused by contaminated water, soil, and toxic indoor air.