No corner of the Earth is free from air pollution: only 0.001% of the world’s population breathes air in which the concentrations of fine particles are within the levels considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). This was stated by the first study conducted globally on the most dangerous fine particles for health, the so-called PM 2.5, published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal and led by the Australian Monash University of Melbourne. The research will make it possible to better assess the short- and long-term health effects of air pollution and to develop strategies to reduce related risks.
The researchers led by Wenhua Yu have combined data from traditional air quality monitoring stations, satellites and weather detectors, reprocessing them thanks to innovative machine learning systems to provide a very detailed global picture. The results show that, despite a slight decrease in days with high levels of PM 2.5, in 2019 more than 70% of days exceeded the threshold of 15 micrograms per cubic meter set by WHO, with an annual average from 2000 to 2019 of 32.8 micrograms per cubic meter.
The highest concentrations of PM 2.5 are found in southern and eastern Asia and in North Africa, while the lowest ones in Australia, New Zealand and Latin America, countries which, however, have seen significantly increased levels of air pollution in the period under consideration examination. The only areas where the annual and daily concentration of fine particles has decreased are Europe and North America, where however the pollution remains above the danger level.
Source: Ansa
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
