About 90% of the global population in 2022 suffered from unhealthy air quality, and only six countries met the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the levels of pollutants in the air, according to a new report by the Swiss technology company IQAir. IQAir measures the level of air
quality Based on the concentration of pollutant suspended particulate matter, known as PM 2.5. Research shows that exposure to these particles can lead to heart attacks, asthma attacks and early death. These polluting particles have also been linked to a higher death rate from the corona virus. When the World Health Organization first published the quality
guidelines Air, it determined that acceptable levels of air pollution are less than 10 micrograms per cubic meter. In 2021, the organization changed the threshold to less than 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
The new report found that the five most polluted countries in 2022 were Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh. The most polluted cities in the world were Lahore in Pakistan; Hotan in China; Bhiwadi in India; Delhi in India; and Peshawar in Pakistan. Air quality in Lahore deteriorated to -97.4 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles per cubic meter in 2022, compared to 86.5 the previous year - making it the most polluted city in the world.
On video: Air pollution in New Delhi (Photo: Reuters)
Air pollution in Kyiv (Photo: Reuters)
Air pollution in Thailand (Photo: Reuters)
The alarming link between air pollution in Israel and Corona (Angle, Science and Environment News Agency)
In the United States, the most polluted major cities were Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Dallas.
In Columbus, the concentration of PM 2.5 particles reached 13.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 - and it is the most polluted city in the United States.
In Israel, Tel Aviv (19.5 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles per cubic meter) and Jerusalem (16.9 micrograms per cubic meter) the air pollution was 3-5 times higher than the limit of the health organization.
Only six countries met the WHO benchmark: Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand, according to the report. The survey used data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations and sensors from 7,323 cities in 131 countries and regions and territories.
Pollution Air shortens the average global lifespan by two years, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.60% of particulate matter comes from burning fossil fuels.
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