Air pollution is associated with the deaths of nearly 7 million people annually, with most deaths occurring in poor countries.
The latest figures published by the World Health Organization (WHO)
show that nine out of ten people breathe air that contains a dangerous
level of contaminants.
These results echo the data that were published in another global
study on air pollution in April, and experts again point out that the
most vulnerable inhabitants of the planet take the heaviest blow from
pollution.
“Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest people bear the
heaviest burden,” says Ted Adhan Gebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
The new figures came at the same time as reports of concerned
residents of Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, who drink “oxygen
cocktails” in an attempt to compensate for the harmful effects of air
pollution.
Since 2016, when new data were calculated, more than 1,000 new cities
were added to the WHO air pollution database, which means that more and
more countries are showing an active interest in monitoring and
controlling pollution levels. The database now covers more than 4.3
thousand cities, which makes it the most complete in the world.
WHO’s measures to combat air pollution focus specifically on the
concentration of fine particulate matter, which are associated with
diseases such as stroke, heart disease and lung cancer. Although in
general air pollution is not the main cause of someone’s death, experts
agree that it definitely contributes to the development of diseases and
shortens life.
In addition to the so-called external air pollution, new data
underscores the problems of domestic air pollution from cooking with
non-environmentally friendly fuel and stoves.
It is estimated that about three billion people still do not have
access to “green” fuels and technologies for use in their homes,
resulting in air pollution, which affects women and children most of
all.
WHO emphasizes the need to combat domestic air pollution in
developing countries, and to apply efforts to spread “green” transport
and clean energy systems.
Tags
Natural catastrophe