Environmental pollutants are responsible for 23 percent of diseases worldwide, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report showed.

Resolving the problems caused by these pollutants may save the lives of six million women annually, the report indicated.

Breast cancer kills 19 percent of women annually, said director of WHO's Public Health and Environment Maria Neira.

Breast cancer is more common in the Middle East region, Latin America and Asia, Neira added.

Around 2.6 million people die every year due to pollution in closed areas where man inhales carbon dioxide and tiny particles resulting from wood stoves and field fires, a scientific report said.

Houses in developing countries are poorly ventilated. Women and children are usually more prone to suffering from lung and respiratory system diseases.