According to a recent report by World Health Organization (WHO), nine out of 10 people on earth are breathing poor quality air.
Though cities seem to mainly affected by the growing pollution problem, WHO claims that conditions in rural areas are too worse
According to the UN’s health body, poorer countries have dirtier air as compared to the developed countries.
As a solution to the most dangerous problem faced by the humanity, WHO urges governments to cut the number of vehicles on the road, improve waste management and promote clean cooking fuel.
The report is based on the data collected from more than 3,000 sites across the globe.
It has been found that “92 per cent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits.”
The data focuses on dangerous particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, or PM2.5.
PM2.5 includes toxins like sulfate and black carbon, which can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system.
Air with more than 10 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5 on an annual average basis is considered substandard.
In some regions, satellite data has been complemented by ground-level PM2.5 measurements, but in much of the developing world ground readings remain unavailable, forcing the WHO to rely on cruder estimates.
The WHO has estimated that more than six million deaths per year are linked to exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Data blames outdoor pollution for more than three million fatalities annually.
But indoor pollution can be equally as harmful, especially in poorer developing world homes where cooking often involves burning charcoal.
