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Outdoor Air Pollution

ECG Bulletin July 2014

The vast majority of cities that report air quality data do not meet World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. And the air pollution experienced by about half of the urban population being monitored is at least 2.5 times higher than the WHO-recommended levels, putting people at additional risk of serious, long-term health problems. These are some of the conclusions from a database published by the WHO on 7 May 2014 (1). The database covers ca. 1600 cities from 91 countries around the world for which particulate data are available on PM10 (particulate matter at 10 micrometres or less) or PM2.5 (2.5 micrometres or less). PM2.5 is considered to be the most reliable indicator of health risks from air pollution. Around 500 more cities are included than in the previous assessment in 2011, reflecting an increase in air quality monitoring. However, in many cities air quality has deteriorated. There is a lack of data for some medium or low income regions, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa. Earlier this year, the WHO warned that about 7 million deaths worldwide in 2012 (about one in eight of total global deaths) were linked to indoor and outdoor air pollution; an estimated 3.7 million of these deaths are attributed to outdoor air pollution (2).
References
1. See http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ releases/2014/air-quality/en/. The database may be found at http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/ outdoorair/databases/cities/en/ 
2. See http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ releases/2014/air-pollution/en/ 



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  • Home
  • About
    • Committee
    • Annual reports
  • Environmental Briefs
  • Distinguished Guest Lectures
    • 2022 Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment >
      • Steve Cottle
      • Ian Williams
      • Fiona Dear
    • 2019 Radioactive Waste Disposal >
      • Juliet Long
    • 2018 Biopollution: Antimicrobial resistance in the environment >
      • Andrew Singer
      • Celia Manaia
    • 2017 Inside the Engine >
      • Frank Kelly
      • Claire Holman
      • Jacqui Hamilton
      • Simon Birkett
    • 2016 Geoengineering >
      • Alan Robock
      • Joanna Haigh
      • David Santillo
      • Mike Stephenson
    • 2015 Nanomaterials >
      • Eugenia Valsami-Jones
      • Debora F Rodrigues
      • David Spurgeon
    • 2014 Plastic debris in the ocean >
      • Richard Thompson
      • Norman Billingham
    • 2013 Rare earths and other scarce metals >
      • Thomas Graedel
      • David Merriman
      • Michael Pitts
      • Andrea Sella
      • Adrian Chapman
    • 2012 Energy, waste and resources >
      • RAFFAELLA VILLA
      • PAUL WILLIAMS
      • Kris Wadrop
    • 2011 The Nitrogen Cycle – in a fix?
    • 2010 Technology and the use of coal
    • 2009 The future of water >
      • J.A. (Tony) Allen
      • John W. Sawkins
    • 2008 The Science of Carbon Trading >
      • Jon Lovett
      • Matthew Owen
      • Terry barker
      • Nigel Mortimer
    • 2007 Environmental chemistry in the Polar Regions >
      • Eric Wolff
      • Tim JICKELLS
      • Anna Jones
    • 2006 The impact of climate change on air quality >
      • Michael Pilling
      • GUANG ZENG
    • 2005 DGL Metals in the environment: estimation, health impacts and toxicology
    • 2004 Environmental Chemistry from Space
  • Articles, reviews & updates
    • Articles
    • Reviews
    • Updates
  • Meetings
    • Upcoming meetings
    • Meeting reports
  • Resources
  • Professional Qualifications
  • Index