Final answer:
Air pollution contributes to multiple health problems globally, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and premature death. It also has a significant impact on the global disease burden and healthcare costs in developing countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
Air pollution contributes to multiple health problems globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly related to air pollution. This includes aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, decreased lung function, increased frequency and severity of respiratory symptoms, increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, effects on the nervous system, cancer, and premature death. Pollution also has a significant impact on global disease burden, reducing the GDP of developing countries by as much as 2% per year and contributing to almost 7% of health costs in developing countries. These statistics highlight the substantial role that air pollution plays in overall global disease.