A new study put the number of annual air pollution related deaths at just over 2 million.

A new study put the number of annual air pollution related deaths at just over 2 million.

The number is actually an improvement over previous estimates of more than 3 million. The study also says that climate change has only had a minimal impact on the number of of deaths caused by air pollution.

Even so, one researcher from the University of North Carolina wrote in the report, "Our estimates make outdoor air pollution among the most important environmental risk factors for health. Many of these deaths are estimated to occur in East Asia and South Asia, where population is high and air pollution is severe."

Their tests involved the creation of 20 climate models that mimicked the various levels of ozone and fine particles introduced by humans in the years 1850 and 2000.

The team concluded that in addition to the 2.1 million deaths caused by the fine particles, approximately 470 thousand were the direct result of the ozone introduced by industry.

The fine particles, which are less than 2.5 microns wide, have also been linked to lung cancer and respiratory problems.