A report released on Tuesday by Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir suggests that the World Health Organization's air pollution ranking will increase in 2023 due to the continued reliance on fossil fuels and the impacts of climate change, posing a threat to human health. Only seven countries currently meet the WHO guidelines.
According to the report, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India have the most polluted air, with particulate pollution levels exceeding the WHO’s recommendations by at least 10 times. More than 92% of countries and territories analyzed surpassed the guidelines for particulate matter pollution, including the United States.
The report also highlights that Canada has become the most polluted country in North America, primarily as a result of a record wildfire season that burned over 45 million acres. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has affected air quality in the United States and contributed to an overall increase in particle pollution from 2022 to 2023.
It is evident from this analysis that air pollution from fossil fuel combustion, coupled with other factors like wildfires exacerbated by climate change, is impacting human health globally. While some regions such as Western Europe are seeing improvements in pollution levels as economies shift towards electrification, in other areas, air pollution control measures are regressing. The report authors emphasize that air pollution transcends national borders, making it a global issue even for countries making efforts to reduce emissions.
According to IQAir, this data is based on inputs from over 30,000 air quality monitors in 134 countries and territories. The company installed monitoring devices to assess average annual pollution levels in cities and calculate people’s exposure to particulate matter around 2.5 microns in size, known as PM2.5, which is considered a crucial indicator of pollution’s impact on human health.
“PM2.5 particles can penetrate every cell in our bodies, from skin cells to lung and brain cells,” stated IQAir Global CEO Frank Hames at a press conference.
Air pollution is linked to approximately 6.7 million premature deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, air pollution levels experienced a slight increase, with Canadian wildfires causing a 30 to 50% rise in average annual pollution in cities like Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Detroit in the upper Midwest.
A study by Stanford University researchers published in Nature last year revealed that smoke from wildfires in some parts of the US has reversed decades of air quality progress achieved through the Clean Air Act, with the situation now deteriorating.
In 2023, Americans, on average, inhaled more wildfire smoke compared to any other year on record, as per Stanford University researchers.
Wildfire smoke can deeply penetrate lungs and enter the bloodstream, increasing the risk of asthma, lung cancer, and other chronic respiratory diseases. Studies have also linked exposure to wildfire smoke to premature births and miscarriages.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
