It is no longer a secret that air pollution is a serious problem facing the world and it is becoming a challenge to estimate how serious a threat it is becoming.
A new study of global air pollution shows that hardly any part of the Earth is safe from unhealthy air.
Bloomberg wrote about this in reference to studies published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal, which claim that nearly 100 percent of the Earth is exposed to airborne particles that increase the risk of lung cancer and heart disease. can cause
The same study claims that less than one percent of the Earth’s surface is capable of absorbing clean air. About 99.82 percent of the world’s land area is affected by unhealthy air.
This data was obtained by Australian and Chinese scientists. They found in the study that more than 70 percent of days in 2019 were filled with fine particulate matter concentrations measuring 15 micrograms per cubic meter, the WHO-recommended daily limit.
Air quality is of particular concern in South and East Asia, where these particles exceeded limits.
Even short-term exposure to harmful particles can cause significant health problems, according to Yuming Guo, senior environmental protection researcher and professor at Monash University.
Researchers say air pollution kills 6.7 million people every year, with nearly two-thirds of premature deaths caused by harmful fine particles in the air.