Most people in the world breathe polluted air: WHO

GENEVA: New data from World Health Organization (WHO) says that about 99 per cent of the global population breathes polluted air beyond the permissible limit. 6000 cities monitor air quality, but people still breathe polluted air. This means, while cities are more cognizant of this massive environmental issue, the quality of air continues to plummet globally.

The scientists have discovered that air pollution poses risks to human health at far lower levels than earlier thought. Consequently, WHO has revised its air quality guidelines. The value for particulate matter (PM) has been reduced by two, and for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by four.

According to the data, 4.2 million people die from air pollution, in addition to 3.8 million deaths linked to household smoke from dirty stoves and fuels. The data also indicates that people for low and middle-income countries are at a greater risk of health hazards from air pollution.

Fossil fuels are the major source for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter which are the most common pollutants. NO2 has been mentioned as the most common air pollutant in cities caused by the traffic. As a result, asthma has emerged as a common health issue in cities. In addition, other health risks posed by air pollution are lung diseases, heart diseases, stroke, cancer and pneumonia.

This calls for an urgent need to tackle air pollution. Some of the steps suggested by the WHO to governments are, revise and implement national air quality standards according to the latest WHO Air Quality Guidelines, build safe and affordable public transport systems and pedestrian- and cycle-friendly networks, implement stricter vehicle emissions and efficiency standards, enforce mandatory inspection and maintenance for vehicle, etc.