over 90 of world breathing bad air
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

World Health Organization

Over 90% of world breathing bad air

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicleOver 90% of world breathing bad air

Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region -- including China
Geneva - Arab Today

Nine out of 10 people globally are breathing poor quality air, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, calling for dramatic action against pollution that is blamed for more than six million deaths a year.

New data in a report from the UN's global health body "is enough to make all of us extremely concerned," Maria Neira, the head of the WHO's department of public health and environment, told reporters.

The problem is most acute in cities, but air in rural areas is worse than many think, WHO experts said.

Poorer countries have much dirtier air than the developed world, according to the report, but pollution "affects practically all countries in the world and all parts of society", Neira said in a statement.

"It is a public health emergency," she said.

"Fast action to tackle air pollution can't come soon enough," she added, urging governments to cut the number of vehicles on the road, improve waste management and promote clean cooking fuel.

Tuesday's report was based on data collected from more than 3,000 sites across the globe.

It found that "92 percent of the world's population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits".

The data focuses on dangerous particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, or PM2.5.

PM2.5 includes toxins like sulfate and black carbon, which can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system.

Air with more than 10 microgrammes per cubic metre of PM2.5 on an annual average basis is considered substandard.  

In some regions satellite data has been complemented by ground-level PM2.5 measurements, but in much of the developing world ground readings remain unavailable, forcing the WHO to rely on cruder estimates. 

Despite these data gaps, Neira said the UN agency now had more information than ever about pollutants in the planet's air. 

Using both satellite and ground measurements "is a big step forward towards even more confident estimates of the huge global burden", of dirty air, she added. 

- Six million deaths a year -

The WHO has estimated that more than six million deaths per year are linked to exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution. 

Data is more solid for outdoor pollution, which is blamed for more than three million fatalities annually. 

But indoor pollution can be equally as harmful, especially in poorer developing world homes where cooking often involves burning charcoal. 

Nearly 90-percent of air pollution-related deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, the WHO said. 

Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region -- including China, Malaysia and Vietnam -- are the hardest hit, the data showed. 

Carlos Dora, coordinator at the WHO's public health and environment department, said that some of the strategies adopted to safeguard against polluted air have limited effectiveness.

For example, daily air quality warnings -- like those sometimes issued in Beijing -- likely do little to help the average person, since the real threat is exposure to sub-par air over extended periods. 

Staying indoors on a day when the air is particularly bad accomplishes little, Dora said.

Additionally, the WHO has seen no conclusive evidence that face masks do much to filter dirty air, Dora added. 

Using a different data set, the WHO reported in May that 80 percent of the world's city dwellers breathe poor quality air, a figure that rose to 98 percent in poorer countries. 

Source: AFP

themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

over 90 of world breathing bad air over 90 of world breathing bad air

 



Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

GMT 08:26 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Five things to know about Davos

GMT 21:30 2017 Wednesday ,01 November

New York Times’ third-quarter revenue up 6.1%

GMT 11:09 2017 Friday ,24 November

Berlin police seeking more missing John Lennon items

GMT 06:34 2017 Saturday ,09 December

Rockets down Jazz for eighth straight NBA win

GMT 23:25 2017 Thursday ,16 February

Pakistan adds 16 new fighter jets to its fleet

GMT 10:50 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Saudi university to open driving school for women

GMT 03:31 2017 Saturday ,07 January

Sharjah launches award for refugee support
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
 
 Themuslimchronicle Facebook,themuslimchronicle facebook  Themuslimchronicle Twitter,themuslimchronicle twitter Themuslimchronicle Rss,themuslimchronicle rss  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle