In the last six years, the levels of air pollution remained high and more or less stable, with lower concentrations in some regions of Europe and the Americas,”
said the WHO in a statement.
Nine out of ten people breathe air that contains high levels of pollutants,”
says the UN agency, a figure that has not changed since the publication of the previous WHO report two years ago.
Air pollution threatens us all, but it is the poorest and most marginalized people who bear the highest cost,”
stated WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
It’s unacceptable that more than 3,000 million people, especially women and children, continue to breathe deadly smoke emitted by furnaces and polluting fuels inside their homes every day,”
added Adhanom.
The WHO conclusions are based on the air quality registered in more than 4,300 cities in 108 countries (1,000 more cities than in the previous report).
According to these data, some seven million people die every year as a result of exposure to fine particles that penetrate deeply into the lungs and into the cardiovascular system, causing conditions such as stroke, heart problems and lung cancer. But human activity is not the only source of air pollution. Sandstorms, particularly in regions close to a desert, also have an influence on air quality, according to the WHO.
According to the report, more than 90% of deaths linked to pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in Asia and Africa. Statistics also show that the places where air pollution levels are highest are found in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, with annual pollution averages often exceeding more than five times the limits set by WHO.
The most affected are the cities with low or middle income in Africa and the western Pacific.