Air pollution kills 7 million people every year, says WHO, tightens guidelines

It said urgent action is needed to reduce the risk of air pollution, putting its disease burden on par with that of smoking and unhealthy food.

“WHO has downward adjusted the level of almost all air quality guidelines, warning that exceeding the new level … levels are associated with significant risks to health,” it said.

“Following them could save millions of lives.”

The guidelines aim to protect people from the adverse effects of air pollution and are used by governments as a reference for legally binding standards.

The United Nations health agency last issued air quality guidelines, or AQGs, in 2005, which had a significant impact on pollution abatement policies around the world.

However, the WHO said that over 16 years, a much stronger body of evidence has emerged showing how air pollution impacts health at lower concentrations than previously thought.

“The accumulated evidence is sufficient to justify action to reduce population exposure to major air pollutants, not only in particular countries or regions but globally,” the organization said.

Southeast Asia hard-hit

The new guidelines come in time for the COP26 global climate summit to be held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November.

WHO said that along with climate change, air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health. Improving air quality will enhance climate change mitigation efforts, and vice versa, it said.

New WHO guidelines recommend air quality levels for six pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

The other two are PM10 and PM2.5 – particulate matter equal to or smaller than 10 and 2.5 microns in diameter.

The WHO said both are capable of penetrating deep into the lungs, but research suggests that PM 2.5 can also enter the bloodstream, resulting primarily in heart and respiratory problems, but also affecting other organs. also affects.

In response, the PM 2.5 guideline level has been halved.

In 2019, more than 90 percent of the world’s population lived in areas where concentrations exceeded the 2005 AQG for long-term PM2.5 exposure. Southeast Asia is the most affected region.

premature deaths

“Air pollution is a health threat in all countries, but it affects people most in low- and middle-income countries,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO said air quality in high-income countries has improved significantly since the 1990s, but the global death toll and years of healthy living have barely declined, as have air in most other countries. The quality has generally deteriorated commensurate with their economic condition. development.

“Each year, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths and result in the loss of millions more healthy lives,” the WHO said.

In children, this can include decreased lung growth and function, respiratory infections, and aggravated asthma.

In adults, ischemic heart disease – also known as coronary heart disease – and stroke are the most common causes of premature death due to outdoor air pollution.

There is also evidence emerging of other effects, such as diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions, the organization said.

The WHO said the disease burden caused by air pollution is “equivalent to other major global health risks, such as unhealthy diets and tobacco smoking”.