Air Pollution Affects 99% of the World’s Population

As the world prepares to commemorate Earth Day on April 22, the latest air quality report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) did not offer good news. The updated air quality database, released on Monday for the first time since 2018, found that 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO’s guidelines for the amount of airborne particles that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems, the Associated Press reported.

The update revealed air quality is poorest in eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa. For instance, on Monday the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus experienced high concentrations of atmospheric dust from particulate matter for the third straight day, with some cities experiencing three and nearly four times the 50 micrograms per square meter that authorities consider normal. Particulate matter comes from various sources, such as transportation, power plants, agriculture, the burning of waste and industry—as well as from natural sources like desert dust.

In response to the update, WHO called for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use to lower the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Monday’s updated database was the first time WHO included ground measurements of NO2, which originates mainly from human-generated burning of fuel, such as through automobile traffic.

The world needs to prepare for the major changes needed to curb air pollution, such as increasing the use of electric vehicles and shifting away from fossil fuels, according to authorities at the Centre for Science and Environment and the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, nonprofit policy research institutions in New Delhi, India. 

“We need to prioritize clean energy access for households that need it the most and take active measures to clean up our industrial sector,” said Tanushree Ganguly, who heads the council’s program on air quality.

Particulate matter found in polluted air is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, negatively affecting the heart and respiratory system and causing strokes.

“After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution,” said Dr. Maria Neira, head of WHO’s department of environment, climate change and health. “Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.”