Global air quality falls short, only seven countries meet WHO standards

Research indicates that only seven countries adhere to the air quality standards established by the World Health Organization (WHO) - reports the British newspaper The Guardian, referencing a report by the Swiss organisation IQAir. This company specialises in air quality research and collects data from over 30,000 monitoring stations globally. From the 134 countries analysed in the study, only seven meet the required standards for PM2.5.

PM2.5 consists of atmospheric aerosols, which, according to WHO, pose the greatest risk to human health among all atmospheric pollutants. WHO documents reveal that long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a reduction in average lifespan. Meanwhile, short-term exposure to high levels of this dust triggers, among others, an increase in deaths related to respiratory and circulatory system diseases.

The seven countries that exclusively meet the standards, as highlighted in the report, are Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand. The report names Bangladesh and Pakistan as the most polluted countries, where the PM2.5 level is about 15 times higher than the WHO-recommended limit. India, Tajikistan, and Burkina Faso also have significant air quality issues.

In the air pollution report prepared by the Swiss organisation, Poland was positioned in the lower half, ranking 74th. It was noted that the country exceeds the standards by approximately threefold. Among the 7,812 cities evaluated in the ranking, Warsaw ranked 2,071st.

Due to air pollution, Vietnamese mothers prevent their children from playing outside in the country’s capital, Hanoi - reports the Reuters agency. The IQAir report identified Hanoi as one of the most polluted capitals globally. WHO, in a statement to Reuters, estimated that around 60,000 deaths in Vietnam each year are related to air pollution.

Source: The Guardian, Reuters, IQAir, Wikipedia

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