Washington, April 4 (BNA): Almost everyone in the world breathes air that does not meet air quality standards, the United Nations health agency said, calling for more measures to reduce the use of fossil fuels, which generate pollutants that cause respiratory and blood flow problems and lead to Millions of preventable deaths each year.
The World Health Organization, about six months after tightening its air quality guidance, on Monday released an update to its air quality database that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns and villages around the world — now totaling more than 6,000 municipalities, the AP said. .
The World Health Organization said 99 percent of the world’s population breathes air that exceeds air quality limits, often full of particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter veins and arteries and cause disease. She added that air quality is poorest in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa.
Dr Maria Neira, Head of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization, said: “Having survived the pandemic, it is unacceptable that there are still 7 million preventable deaths and countless years lost of preventable good health due to air pollution. “. “However, a lot of investments are still being sunk in a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.”
The database, which traditionally considered two types of particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, included for the first time ground-based measurements of nitrogen dioxide. The latest version of the database was released in 2018.
Nitrogen dioxide arises mainly from the burning of fuels caused by human activities, such as the combustion of cars, and is more common in urban areas. The World Health Organization said exposure can cause respiratory illnesses such as asthma and symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing, and more hospitalizations and emergency rooms. The highest concentrations are found in the eastern Mediterranean region.
Particles come from many sources, such as transportation, power plants, agriculture, waste incineration, and industry – as well as from natural sources such as desert dust. The database showed that the developing world was particularly hard hit: India had high levels of PM10, while China showed high levels of PM2.5.
The findings highlight the huge scale of changes needed to combat air pollution, said Anumita Roychodhury, an air pollution expert at the Center for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy organization in New Delhi.
India and the world need to prepare for major changes to try to reduce air pollution: electric cars; stay away from fossil fuels; a massive increase in green energy; She added that the homes separate the types of waste.
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank, found in a study that more than 60% of PM2.5 loads in India come from homes and industries.
Tanshri Ganguly, who heads the council’s program on air quality, called for action toward reducing emissions from industries, automobiles, biomass burning and domestic energy.
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