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Asian cities' air quality among worst
Source: Agencies |
September 27, 2011, Tuesday
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CITIES in Iran, India, Pakistan and the capital of Mongolia rank among the worst on the planet for air pollution, while those in the US and Canada are among the best, according to the first global survey by the World Health Organization released yesterday.
The southwest Iranian city of Ahvaz won the unfortunate distinction of having the highest measured level of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers.
The WHO released the list to highlight the need to reduce outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to cause 1.34 million premature deaths each year.
The body said investments to lower pollution levels quickly pay off with lower disease rates and, therefore, lower healthcare costs.
The list, which relies on data reported by the countries over several years, measures the levels of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers - so-called PM10s - for almost 1,100 cities.
They are mostly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from power plants, vehicle exhausts and industry.
The WHO recommends an upper limit of 20 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter.
Ahvaz's annual average was 372 micrograms.
The Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator, had an annual average of 279 micrograms, followed by another west Iranian city, Sanandaj, with 254 micrograms.
Cities in Pakistan and India, such as Quetta and Kanpur, as well as Botswana's capital Gaborone, also ranked high on the pollution scale.
The WHO said the reasons for the high pollution levels vary, but that often rapid industrialization and the use of poor-quality fuels for transport and power generation are to blame.
At the other end of the list are cities in Canada and the US, which benefit from lower population density, favorable climates and stricter air pollution regulation.
Yukon territory's capital Whitehorse had a yearly average of just 3 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter, while Santa Fe, New Mexico, measured 6 micrograms.
Washington DC had a level of 18 micrograms, Tokyo measured 23 micrograms, and Paris had 38 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter.
The WHO also released a shorter table comparing levels of even finer dust particles, known as PM2.5s. The level considered harmful there is 10 micrograms per cubic meter.
This list contained no measurements from Asia apart from Ulan Bator, which again ranked worst with 63 micrograms.
The southwest Iranian city of Ahvaz won the unfortunate distinction of having the highest measured level of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers.
The WHO released the list to highlight the need to reduce outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to cause 1.34 million premature deaths each year.
The body said investments to lower pollution levels quickly pay off with lower disease rates and, therefore, lower healthcare costs.
The list, which relies on data reported by the countries over several years, measures the levels of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers - so-called PM10s - for almost 1,100 cities.
They are mostly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from power plants, vehicle exhausts and industry.
The WHO recommends an upper limit of 20 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter.
Ahvaz's annual average was 372 micrograms.
The Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator, had an annual average of 279 micrograms, followed by another west Iranian city, Sanandaj, with 254 micrograms.
Cities in Pakistan and India, such as Quetta and Kanpur, as well as Botswana's capital Gaborone, also ranked high on the pollution scale.
The WHO said the reasons for the high pollution levels vary, but that often rapid industrialization and the use of poor-quality fuels for transport and power generation are to blame.
At the other end of the list are cities in Canada and the US, which benefit from lower population density, favorable climates and stricter air pollution regulation.
Yukon territory's capital Whitehorse had a yearly average of just 3 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter, while Santa Fe, New Mexico, measured 6 micrograms.
Washington DC had a level of 18 micrograms, Tokyo measured 23 micrograms, and Paris had 38 micrograms of PM10s per cubic meter.
The WHO also released a shorter table comparing levels of even finer dust particles, known as PM2.5s. The level considered harmful there is 10 micrograms per cubic meter.
This list contained no measurements from Asia apart from Ulan Bator, which again ranked worst with 63 micrograms.
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