Asthma is a long term illness of the lungs that causes the airways to become inflamed and produce lots of mucus. Viral infections, cold air, allergens, exercise, and smoke make the airways “twitch
...
y”; they close easily causing asthma attacks with coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath (see what is asthma). Between attacks the airways are inflamed (see what is an allergy).
more
Virtually all (99.9 percent) of Southeast Asia’s 656.1 million people live in areas where particulate pollution exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 μg/m³. Despite the lockdowns of the pandemic, pollution continued to rise
...
in much of Southeast Asia in 2020. This pollution cuts short the life expectancy of the average Southeast Asian person by 1.5 years, relative to what it would be if the WHO guideline was met. That’s a total of 959.8 million person-years lost to pollution in the eleven countries that make up this region. Some countries in the region experience greater impacts from pollution.
more
Air pollution’s impact on life expectancy in Nigeria is greater than that of HIV/AIDS and almost on par with malaria and unsafe water and sanitation, shortening the average Nigerian’s life expectancy by 1.8 years, relative
...
to what it would be if the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 μg/m3 was met.1 Some areas of Nigeria fare much worse than average, with air pollution shortening lives by almost 4 years on average in parts of Taraba state in Northeastern Nigeria.
more
The EU's air quality directives (2008/50/EC Directive on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe and 2004/107/EC Directive on heavy metals a
...
nd polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air) set pollutant concentrations thresholds that shall not be exceeded in a given period of time. In case of exceedances, authorities must develop and implement air quality management plans. These plans should aim to bring concentrations of air pollutants to levels below the limit and target values.
Selected EU standards and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines are summarised in the table below. These apply over differing periods of time because the observed health impacts associated with the various pollutants occur over different exposure times.
The WHO guideline values are set for the protection of health, and are generally stricter than the comparable politically agreed EU standards.
more
Despite some improvements, current levels of air pollution still pose a considerable risk to the environment and to human health in the WHO Europea
...
n Region. One issue of concern is that monitoring of particulate matter is very limited in the countries of eastern Europe, the Caucasus and central Asia. This paper summarizes the evidence about the health effects of air pollution from particulate matter and presents the policy implications, the aim being to stimulate policy-makers to develop more effective strategies to reduce air pollution and its health effects in those countries.
more
Bangladesh is the world’s most polluted country. Air pollution shortens the average Bangladeshi’s life expectancy by 6.9 years, relative to what it would be if the World Health Organization (WHO
...
) guideline of 5 μg/m³ was met. Some areas of Bangladesh fare much worse than average, with air pollution shortening lives by nearly 9 years in Dhaka, the country’s most polluted city.
more
The WHO fact sheet on household air pollution highlights that around 2.1 billion people rely on solid fuels like wood and coal for cooking, using open fires or inefficient stoves. This leads to seve
...
re indoor air pollution, contributing to about 3.2 million premature deaths each year, including over 237,000 children under five. Health impacts include strokes, heart disease, COPD, and lung cancer. Women and children are particularly affected due to their roles in cooking and fuel gathering. WHO calls for the adoption of clean energy solutions, such as electricity and solar power, to mitigate the health risks associated with household air pollution.
more
The WHO fact sheet on household air pollution highlights that around 2.1 billion people rely on solid fuels like wood and coal for cooking, using open fires or inefficient stoves. This leads to seve
...
re indoor air pollution, contributing to about 3.2 million premature deaths each year, including over 237,000 children under five. Health impacts include strokes, heart disease, COPD, and lung cancer. Women and children are particularly affected due to their roles in cooking and fuel gathering. WHO calls for the adoption of clean energy solutions, such as electricity and solar power, to mitigate the health risks associated with household air pollution.
more
The webpage from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) focuses on the significant health impacts of air pollution in the Americas. It explains how exposure to
...
air pollutants contributes to various health issues, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, leading to premature deaths. The site highlights key sources of air pollution, such as vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and household energy use. PAHO emphasizes the need for effective public health policies, cross-sector collaboration, and sustainable practices to reduce pollution levels and protect public health in the region.
more
The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the significant health risks associated with household air pollution, primarily resulting from the use of inefficient and polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating, and lighting. In 2020, ap
...
proximately 2.1 billion people—about one-third of the global population—relied on open fires or inefficient stoves fueled by kerosene, biomass (such as wood, animal dung, and crop waste), and coal. This exposure led to an estimated 3.2 million deaths, including over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of five. The pollutants emitted from these sources contribute to a range of health issues, including respiratory infections, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. The WHO emphasizes the urgent need for transitioning to cleaner fuels and technologies to mitigate these health risks.
more
The WHO fact sheet on household air pollution highlights that around 2.1 billion people rely on solid fuels like wood and coal for cooking, using open fires or inefficient stoves. This leads to seve
...
re indoor air pollution, contributing to about 3.2 million premature deaths each year, including over 237,000 children under five. Health impacts include strokes, heart disease, COPD, and lung cancer. Women and children are particularly affected due to their roles in cooking and fuel gathering. WHO calls for the adoption of clean energy solutions, such as electricity and solar power, to mitigate the health risks associated with household air pollution.
more
Air pollution is the top environmental threat to health in Europe. It leads to hundreds of thousands premature deaths per year and billions of Euro
...
s in health costs.
more
Polluted air is a public health hazard that cannot be evaded. It is widely known that long-term exposure to air pollution enhances the risks of car
...
diovascular and respiratory diseases. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the University Medical Center Mainz now calculated in a new study that the global, public loss of life expectancy caused by air pollution is higher than many other risk factors such as smoking, infectious diseases or violence
more
The webpage from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) provides an analysis of air pollution as a significant global health risk. It details how air pollution contributes
...
to severe health problems, including respiratory diseases and increased mortality rates. The site explains different types of air pollution, such as ambient particulate matter and household air pollution, and their respective impacts on health. It emphasizes the global burden of disease caused by pollution, underscoring the importance of reducing exposure through policy and public health interventions to improve overall health outcomes.
more
Nations will more quickly transition to clean energy if they redirect government funds away from subsidising unhealthy commodities– in particular fossil fuels. Such action would reduce air polluti
...
on and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby mitigating climate change and saving lives. Countries must reexamine current economic incentives to industries that harm health as an essential step towards creating coherent policies that sustain growth, support clean energy expansion and prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
more
Accessed on 06.03.2022
Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in Europe
Air pollution is hard to escape, no matter where you live
...
. It can seriously affect your health and the environment. Even though air quality in Europe has improved over recent decades, the levels of air pollutants still exceed EU standards and the most stringent World Health Organization guidelines.
Website
more
Indoor air pollution is one of the world's largest environmental problems – particularly for the poorest in the world, who often do not have access to clean fuels for cooking.The Global Burden of
...
Disease is a major global study on the causes and risk factors for death and disease. The study estimates of the annual number of deaths attributed to a wide range of risk factors are shown here. This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the "change country or region" toggle.
more
All health workers would benefit from gaining knowledge and skills to protect individuals and communities from air pollution exposure. This course examines the main health impacts of
...
air pollution and which roles health workers can play to protect and promote people’s health.
more
Outdoor air pollution is one of the world's largest health and environmental problems. The Global Burden of Disease is a major global study on the causes and risk factors for death. These estimates of the annual number of deaths attributed
...
to a wide range of risk factors are shown here. This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the "change country or region" toggle.
more
Air pollution is the second leading cause of deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) after tobacco smoking, according to WHO.