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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 8, 2014 11:11 AM IST
Millions of people living in urban areas around the world are exposed to excessive air pollution and are at a risk of serious, long-term health problems, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
Air quality in most cities worldwide that monitor outdoor air pollution fails to meet WHO guidelines for safe levels, putting people at risk of respiratory diseases and other health problems, a WHO release said.
It said that in most cities where there is enough data to compare the situation today with previous years, air pollution is getting worse. Many factors contribute to this increase, including reliance on fossil fuels such as coal fired power plants, dependence on private transport motor vehicles, inefficient use of energy in buildings and the use of biomass for cooking and heating.
But some cities are making notable improvements demonstrating that air quality can be improved by implementing policy measures such as banning the use of coal for 'space heating' in buildings, using renewable or 'clean' fuels for electricity production and improving efficiency of motor vehicle engines. The latest available data has prompted WHO to call for greater awareness of health risks caused by air pollution, implementation of effective air pollution mitigation policies and close monitoring of the situation in cities worldwide, the release added.
What is air pollution?
Air pollution, a major environmental risk to health, refers to the presence of pollutants in the air that can cause damage to living organisms or the atmosphere. Air pollutants can be solid particles, liquid droplets or gases that can be natural in origin or man-made. Some of the main air pollutants are particulate matter, ground level ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Major sources of outdoor pollution include burning fossil fuels (coal and oil) for daily heating, power generation and operating motor vehicles such as cars, buses, etc. Other sources are dust from fields and rock quarries, as well as smoke from wood and crop fires. Another equally dangerous source of air pollution is smoking. The common practice of burning wood, charcoal and animal dung as fuel in chulhas exposes many people to an unprecedented amount of indoor pollutants. Sources of indoor pollution also include pollen, mould, household products, pesticides, etc. Annually, around 1.3 and two million untimely deaths can be attributed to outdoor and indoor air pollution respectively. (Read: Air Pollution: Urgent cause for concern)
With inputs from IANS
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